Power supply across India set to be hit as 27 lakh power sector employees plan nationwide strike on July 9, here's why

Power supply across India to be disrupted, as 27 lakh Power sector employees across India are planning for a massive day-long strike on July 9, Wednesday. The strike is being organised by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) and led by the All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF). The protest is against the proposed privatisation of the two Uttar Pradesh distribution companies: Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PVVNL) and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (DVVNL), which supply electricity in 42 of UP’s 75 districts.

"On the call of the umbrella body National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), power employees, junior engineers and engineers across the country have held massive demonstrations in protest against the privatisation of the discoms," said Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF).

Why will there be a nationwide strike?

Employees claim that the UP government is undervaluing the assets to favour some private companies. Some senior authorities are accused of colluding with these private companies to hand over public assets at ‘throwaway prices.’ They claim that this privatisation is not just an economic decision, as this will limit the subsidies being offered to farmers and low-income households. Warning demonstrations were held across major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and many more to build momentum for the nationwide strike.

The strike will disrupt the nation's power supply as two-thirds of the department's workforce is likely to walk out onto the streets, though the precise extent remains uncertain.

The strike will have a pan-India footprint with cities including Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Vadodara, Rajkot, Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Ranchi, Srinagar, Jammu, Shimla, Dehradun, Patiala, Jaipur, Kota, Hisar, and Lucknow.

The All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF) is demanding a thorough consultation with the employees and engineers before such a structural decision. They have demanded a rollback of the privatisation call.