Employees and engineers of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL), under the aegis of the Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL Association and Unions (CCORMAU), will stage a protest along with public sector colleagues across the country on Monday against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022, which will be introduced in Parliament.
The decision was taken during an emergency online meeting of CCORMAU on Sunday in support of a resolution adopted by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) during its national convention held in New Delhi on August 2.
The timing of the protest is not fixed – it will take place as and when the bill is tabled in Parliament. At that time, MeECL employees and engineers will leave their workplaces and demonstrate for up to two hours against the proposed legislation.
CCORMAU assured the public that the protest will be peaceful and will not cause disruption to the power supply.
The NCCOEEE is opposed to the amendment as it fears the “far-reaching adverse effects on the power sector, electricity consumers and electricity employees and engineers” to be brought about, it says, by the increased privatisation of the industry.
Despite repeated requests from the NCCOEEE and All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), the central government has not held any talks with the electricity engineers or the employees even once regarding the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022, a release from CCORMAU today stated. It added that the government is violating a written promise the latter had made to the United Kisan Morcha last year that it would consult with all stakeholders before introducing the bill.
