UP power employees go on indefinite strike

Lucknow, Oct 5 : The employees in the power department of the Uttar Pradesh government began an indefinite complete work boycott from Monday in response to a call given by the UP Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti to protest against the proposed privatisation of the Varanasi discom.
The government said it has made all the preparations to deal with the agitation.
The UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) management had held talks with the Sangharsh Samiti leaders to persuade them to withdraw the work boycott call, but talks failed after the management rejected their proposal for effecting reforms in the energy sector without privatising it.
“After the UPPCL management turned down our reform proposal, we have asked all the power personnel to begin the full day work boycott from Monday as per the pre-declared plan,” said Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All-India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF).
He accused the management of misleading the government and appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene into the matter to stem the growing unrest in the power sector.
UP Power Officers Association president, K.B. Ram and acting president, Avadhesh Kumar Verma on Monday met state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra and submitted memorandum to them seeking their support to stop privatisation.