Power staff unions voice concerns over ADITYA

LUCKNOW: Power employees’ unions in Uttar Pradesh have expressed the fear that a new scheme that the Centre is expected to announce to take over debts of the country’s stateowned distribution companies (discoms) may become a ploy to force states to privatise power distribution.

The scheme, likely to be announced in the general budget on February 1, may be named Atal Distribution System Improvement Yojana (ADITYA).

It will replace the ongoing Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) under which the Centre and UP governments had taken over UP discoms’ liabilities worth around Rs 50,000 crore five years ago. “Under ADITYA that will be implemented in two-three parts, the Centre and state’s ratio of financial grant will be 40% and 60% per cent respectively, unlike in the Ujjwala where the ratio was reverse,” a senior UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) official said.

“The scheme is likely to come in the budget on February 1,” he added.

All-India Power Engineers’ Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey claimed the Central government was going ahead with its plan for privatisation of state-run discoms by forcing them to have multiple supply franchisee system.

“Under the proposed model, the commercial work related to giving power connections, metering, supply of electricity and recovery of bills will be given to franchisees while the discoms will provide their network to them to carry power to consumer’ end,” he explained. This move, he said, was aimed to hand over the distribution of power to private companies and the employees “would oppose any such move”.

Opposing the move, UP Power Officers Association’s working president and UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Awadhesh Kumar Verma claimed he had a model that could bring about the desired change in the power sector without having to privatise the sector.