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The Andhra Pradesh Energy Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the APSEB Engineers Association (APSEBEA) oppose the Electricity (Amendment) Bill proposed by the Center, 2020, claiming that their purpose is to change the basic objective of ‘public service’ to ‘private benefits’ and will result in private monopolies.
Additionally, employees are concerned that states depend on the central government for subsidies and no longer have a role in the appointment of the state’s Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
Employees say the Electricity Contract Compliance Authority proposed in the bill aims to protect the business interests of private investors and leaves little scope for state governments to renegotiate and reduce the cost of electricity.
JAC President P. Chandrasekhar and APSEBEA President M. Vedyavyasa Rao said The Hindu that the 2020 Electricity (Amendment) Bill also contemplated the privatization of distribution and transmission companies through the franchise route to the detriment of consumers, especially farmers and slums for whom electricity would be unavailable .
There are many other compelling reasons for the Ministry of Power to renounce the proposed amendments, the JAC and APSEBEA said, appealing to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will oppose the bill if the state does not want to remain a silent spectator as the Center seeks to implement the controversial legislation.
They highlighted the problems in a letter to Secretary of Energy N. Srikant and asked him to convey his views to the Center.
In the statement of objects and reasons for the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Center justified the need to modernize electricity laws by pointing out that there are some critical problems that weakened commercial and investment activities in the sector and they needed to be resolved to ensure the sustainable growth of the country. The Center insisted that some provisions of the 2003 Electricity Law cannot cope with rapid developments in the electricity sector, hence the movement to overhaul the entire system.
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