A section of state electricity workers in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Raigad and other districts have called for a strike on January 4 against privatisation of government-run utilities. Sources said they will protest at the respective district collectors’ offices. This might hamper the power supply in parts of Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The state government, in a bid to address potential outages, has prepared an emergency plan.
The employees have accused the government of indirectly promoting privatisation in the electricity distribution sector and have demanded permanent jobs for those working on a contract basis. To avoid power outages, the energy department has asked officers to prepare for any emergency and has set up a control room to address the complaints.
‘’Adani group has applied for a parallel distribution licence in Navi Mumbai and Thane, where currently Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. (MSEDCL) is supplying power,” said Krishna Bhoir, general secretary of Maharashtra State Electricity worker’s Federation. “This parallel licence in the Navi Mumbai and Thane will turn into the beginning of the privatisation of electricity distribution in Maharashtra. 86,000 employees and engineers of the companies and 42,000 contract labourers are participating in this 3-day strike.’’ Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the energy portfolio, has called a meeting with employee unions on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue and end the strike.