The All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF) on Sunday opposed the Union government's order to link 33-kilovolt (kV) sub-stations with the power grid, saying it is an "attempt towards privatisation" of the electricity sector through the "backdoor".
"The new order is not only anti-people but is an attempt to benefit the private sector, by backdoor entry, overlooking the interest of people," Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Federation, told reporters in the presence of UP Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh State President V P Singh and its Secretary Prabhat Kumar.
Dubey added that the country's power engineers will "oppose tooth and nail" the move of the Union government.
Narrating the order of Union government dated September 1 sent to state government, the officials said all the 33-kV power sub-stations running under electric distribution companies of the state and their network will be merged with transmission companies.
He said the order also envisages to form a joint venture of the state's transmission companies and the central government's power grid.
Orders to power grid on these lines have already been issued by the union government, he added.
According to officials, consumer services will be adversely affected if the 33-KV sub-station, the backbone of the power distribution system, run by 33/11kV network is merged with Vidyut Prasaran Nigam of the state.
It is an attempt of the Union government to bring private sector in the distribution by scrapping the licence of distribution companies through the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, officials said.
The officials also said that while private companies have been empowered to use the network of government distribution companies for power distribution in the area of their choice, it would be mandatory for government distribution companies to supply consumers of all classes.
Without any rider, in the Bill, private companies have been given freedom of supply of power to industrial and commercial consumers of their choice that will fetch profit.
They also said the Bill also empowers private companies to earn profit without spending a single penny on maintenance or upgrading power networks.
The aforesaid exercise of union Govt is meant to prepare a platform for private companies so that they may mint money without any hindrance, since in the national monetisation pipeline, declaration has been made to transfer power grid to private sector, they said.
The power engineers of the country may go to any extent to foil attempts by the government to prepare a "money-minting platform" for the private sector, the officials said.
