Haryana, January 29:
The privatization process of the Chandigarh Administration’s power department has now entered its final stages. The administration is concerned that employees may abandon their duties in protest against privatization.
To mitigate this, the Chandigarh Administration has requested 113 technical staff from the Haryana Power Department and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam. The staff, which includes line workers, junior engineers, substation attendants, and drivers, are expected to arrive in Chandigarh by Wednesday.
The UT Administration’s engineering secretary has sent a letter to the Haryana Power Department and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam, mentioning that the power department is being handed over to Eminent Electricity Distribution Limited. Following this, there is a possibility that employees may go on strike. As a result, it will be necessary to deploy additional technical staff between January 29 and February 7 to ensure the continuous supply of electricity. According to sources, the privatization process is likely to be completed during this period.
The department’s employees have already made it clear that they will boycott work post-privatization. In anticipation of this, the administration has already arranged for the deployment of extra staff. The administration has requested 113 employees and appointed the Superintending Engineer (SE) as the nodal officer to coordinate between various agencies.
Haryana ESMA Imposed, Yet Employees Continue Protests
To curb the protests, the administration recently enforced the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). Despite this, department employees continue to protest after their holidays, with city residents joining their cause in solidarity.
The employees argue that the administration should have issued the transfer scheme notification first, outlining all terms and conditions related to employee services. The administration had promised that the transfer scheme would be finalized before any work progressed. However, on November 22, the Letter of Intent (LOI) was issued to the company, with the deadline extended to January 31. In the meantime, Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited was also formed.
Eminent Bid for ₹871 Crore, Department Has Around 1,100 Employees
The power department employs approximately 1,100 staff, with around 550 regular employees and the rest on an outsourced basis. Eminent Electricity Distribution Limited had placed a bid of ₹871 crore for privatizing the department, which was approved by the Central Cabinet in May 2022. The privatization process began five years ago, with seven companies bidding for the department, including Eminent, Adani Transmission Ltd., Tata Power, Torrent Power, Sterlite Power, Renew Wind Energy, and NTPC Electric Supply Company Ltd.
List of Required Staff
| Position | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Assistant Lineman | 55 |
| Lineman | 23 |
| Substation Attendant | 16 |
| Junior Engineer | 9 |
| Driver | 10 |
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