Power privatisation: Thousands likely to hold ‘bijli panchayat’ today

Chandigarh: Thousands of employees and members of the general public from various sectors and districts will hold a ‘bijli panchayat' at Ramlila Ground, Bijli Colony, Sector 28B, on Wednesday to decide the future course of action against the privatisation of the electricity department."National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) national leaders, United Kisan Morcha, Central Trade Union, and UT Chandigarh Employees and Worker Federation leaders will participate in the meeting," said UT Powermen Union Chandigarh general secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi.Amrik Singh, the union's president, said all preparations for the meet have been done. He assured that the electricity panchayat will be conducted in a completely peaceful manner.Meanwhile, the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) has written a letter to the Punjab governor cum Chandigarh administrator, demanding a halt to the transfer of the electricity department to a private company. On Tuesday, EEFI national general secretary Prashant Nandi Chaudhary, vice-presidents Subhash Lamba and Suresh Rathi, and secretary Sudeep Dutta, in a joint statement, said: "The valuable undertaking was put into the bidding process in a completely fraudulent manner at a base price of only Rs 174.63 crore."Chandigarh: Thousands of employees and members of the general public from various sectors and districts will hold a ‘bijli panchayat' at Ramlila Ground, Bijli Colony, Sector 28B, on Wednesday to decide the future course of action against the privatisation of the electricity department."National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) national leaders, United Kisan Morcha, Central Trade Union, and UT Chandigarh Employees and Worker Federation leaders will participate in the meeting," said UT Powermen Union Chandigarh general secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi.Amrik Singh, the union's president, said all preparations for the meet have been done. He assured that the electricity panchayat will be conducted in a completely peaceful manner.Meanwhile, the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) has written a letter to the Punjab governor cum Chandigarh administrator, demanding a halt to the transfer of the electricity department to a private company. On Tuesday, EEFI national general secretary Prashant Nandi Chaudhary, vice-presidents Subhash Lamba and Suresh Rathi, and secretary Sudeep Dutta, in a joint statement, said: "The valuable undertaking was put into the bidding process in a completely fraudulent manner at a base price of only Rs 174.63 crore."