MSEB workers federation to protest against privatisation

Mumbai, Apr 2 (UNI) Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) workers Federation will hold demonstrations tomorrow to protest against the privatisation of the Power Transmission, Distribution and Generation companies.

In a release issued here today, MSEB Workers Federation vice president A D Golandaz said the demonstrations, to be held outside 'Prakashgad', the MSEB office in suburban Mumbai, would highlight the demands of filling in vacant posts, putting a stop to privatisation and initiate steps to add generation capacity.

''During the trifurcation of the MSEB in June 2005, the government had promised that the three companies will not be privatised. However, by handing over the Bhiwandi circle to a private company called Torrent on franchise basis, the government has embarked on privatisation of the power sector in an indirect manner,'' he said.

Now, the government has decided to hand over other areas from different parts of the state to private companies on franchise basis, he said.

In 2004, the revenue per month of MSEB was Rs 700-800 crore which is now Rs 1500 crore, Mr Golandaz said and lamented that despite increased revenues, recoveries were not up to the mark. He said the government was giving an excuse of T&D losses for pivatisation, but MSEB officials had succeeded in bringing down the losses from 39 to 32 per cent (15 per cent in some areas) in the last two years.

Instead of hiring permanent employees, the government is giving more thrust to contractors on outsourcing basis. There are about 30,000 posts lying vacant for the last several years and the government has not filled in the vacancies, he said.

UNI