AIPEF demands inquiry of coal crisis, withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment)Bill 2021
Bahadurjeet Singh /Rupnagar
All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF ) in its executive meeting demanded a high level enquiry on the present coal crisis and also urged the government to withdraw Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 and all sorts of privatization in the Power Sector.
V K Gupta spokesperson for AIPEF informed that the Federal Executive held on Saturday was presided by Chairman Shailendra Dubey, Secretary General P Rathnakar Rao, Patron K Ashok Rao, and P N Singh, T Jayanthi & Sunil Jagtap.
The delegates from 17 states discussed at length the ongoing power crisis in the country and passed 10 resolutions arising out of coal shortage and privatisation policies being pursued by the center, withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021,scrapping of power distribution privatisation in union territories, the revival of old pension scheme to all power employees and engineers , and revision of power purchase agreements in respect of fixed charges.
On the ongoing power crisis, AIPEF demanded that an independent inquiry be constituted into the coal crisis that has enveloped the country during the summer of 2022 and is likely to extend into the monsoon.
The Ministry of Power in overcoming the crisis on the one hand imposing on the state governments and generating companies to import coal and on the other hand providing relief to private power plants that have been designed and sanctioned to run on imported coal. The federation alleged that the policies including the import of coal formulated were aimed directly benefiting private companies.
Terming Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 as anti people and anti employee AIPEF said various models of restructuring have been experimented with over the last almost two decades. It is time to re-examine the most optimal solution for the power sector.
AIPEF demanded that the entire bidding process of UT Chandigarh privatisation should be scrapped without finalising the standard bidding documents.
AIPEF demands inquiry of coal crisis, withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment)Bill 2021. Similarly, all moves to initiate privatisation of distribution in UT Puducherry should put on hold view of good technical and commercial performance.
AIPEF demanded a comprehensive revision of all Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in respect of fixed cost having to be paid even when no power is drawn, exorbitant high cost of renewable power generation, pass
through of increased cost of imported coals,increased cost of generation by private thermal power generators under section 11 of the Electricity Act 2003.
May 29,2022
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