Twenty thousand consumers handed over a signed memorandum to the administration against privatization

Twenty thousand consumers handed over a signed memorandum to the administration against privatization

Demand to withdraw the decision of electricity privatization

People will come out on the streets on January 31 against privatization, will take out a protest march

Chandigarh 26 January ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : UT Power Man Union Chandigarh organized a public meeting against privatization on Sunday in Sector 28 B, Bijli Colony under the chairmanship of President Amrik Singh. At the beginning of the public meeting, the national flag was hoisted on Republic Day and the national anthem was sung and a pledge was taken to save the electricity department from being handed over to private hands by making any sacrifice. National President of All India State Government Employees Federation and National Vice President of EEFI Subhash Lamba, Secretary Sudeep Dutta, President of Federation of UT Employees and Workers Raghbir Chand, General Secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi and Senior Vice President Chand Rajendra Katoch also participated in the public meeting. Thousands of electricity employees and their family members, besides employees of other departments, farmers, labourers, youth and representatives of women's organisations participated in the public meeting. After the public meeting, a march was taken out to the Raj Bhawan to hand over a memorandum containing signatures of twenty thousand consumers against privatisation to His Excellency the Governor. The police stopped this protest march by putting up barricades in front of the police station. Where the angry employees and citizens protested by raising slogans against the UT administration. Seeing the aggressive attitude, the SDM arrived on the spot on behalf of the administration to take the memorandum. On this occasion, UT Power Man Union Chandigarh General Secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi, Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) Vice President and National President of All India State Government Employees Federation Subhash Lamba and EEFI Secretary Sudip Dutta reprimanded the administration. He said that for the last 50 days, the public, employees and their families are protesting on the streets daily against handing over the electricity department to private hands, which is against the sentiments of the stakeholders of electricity (electricity employees and consumers). But His Excellency the Governor and the UT administration did not consider it necessary to talk to the stakeholders, let alone withdraw the privatization decision. Therefore, the employees, their families and consumers hoisted the national flag on an auspicious occasion like Republic Day and were forced to take to the streets to save the electricity department set up by the public. He said that on January 31, the Anti-Privatization Front will take out a fury march in Chandigarh against the decision of electricity privatization, in which electricity employees and their families will also participate in large numbers. Federation of UT Employees and Workers President Raghbir Chand said that employees of all other departments will also join the movement against privatization. 

*Employees will not work under private companies*

National Vice President of Electricity Employees Federation of India Subhash Lamba said very clearly that no government and administration of the country can force any government employee to work under a private company. This is against the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003. He said that if the department is handed over to a private company despite all the opposition, then no employee of UT Chandigarh Power Department will work under a private company. If this decision causes any problem to the electricity consumers of Chandigarh, then the UT administration will be completely responsible for it. Therefore, before handing over, the administration should talk to UT Power Man Union Chandigarh. From which the administration is constantly avoiding and is trying to put consumers in trouble. 

*Employees from Haryana, Himachal, Punjab, UP and Jammu and Kashmir will not come to Chandigarh*

Electricity Employees Federation of India's National Vice President Subhash Lamba and Secretary Sudeep Dutta said that if the electricity employees of Chandigarh boycott work and sit on dharna after handing over the department to a private company, then employees from the neighboring states of Himachal, Haryana, Punjab, UP and Jammu and Kashmir will not come to Chandigarh to run the power supply smoothly. If those state governments force, then strike will be started there too. Electricity employees unions of all the states have given notices for this. 

*Protests will be held across the country on January 31*

EEFI's National Vice President Subhash Lamba said that on the call of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEI) protests will be held across the country on January 31 to express solidarity with the ongoing movement of the public and employees against the privatization of Chandigarh Electricity Department and to warn the UT administration. The public meeting was addressed by Federation's senior vice president Rajendra Katoch, Naujwan Kisan Ekta's president Kripal Singh Saini, Pendu Sangharsh Committee's Gyan Chand, Janwadi Stree Sabha's president Asha Rana, Nari Shakti's president Shailja Sharma, All India State Government Employees Federation's women sub-committee member Rekha Gora, Road's president Toplan, Rajendran, Prempal, Water Supply's president Naseeb Singh Harpal Singh, UT Power Man Union's Ex President Dhian Singh,vice president Gurmeet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Joint Secretary Kashmir Singh, Vinay Prasad, Pensioners Union's Ujaagar Singh Mohi, CITU's general secretary Dinesh Prasad, Nagendra Kumar, Ram Adhar, CTU Workers Union's Om Prakash, besides other representatives of several other organizations and unions also addressed the public meeting and demanded the removal of electricity employees.He fully supported the movement of the workers and assured them of full participation in their fight. Issued by Gopal Dutt Joshi, General Secretary, UT Powerman Union and Federation