Employees and engineers of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board observed a complete pen-down and tool-down strike today in response to a nationwide call by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers against the Centre’s policies on privatization in the power sector.
The strike impacted both office functioning and field operations across the state. However, emergency services were kept operational to ensure that essential power supply services to the public were not disrupted.
Protests Across the State
During lunch hours, strong demonstrations were held at 63 locations outside electricity board offices across Himachal Pradesh. In several places, memorandums were submitted to the Central Government through the local administration.
In Shimla, hundreds of employees, engineers, and pensioners staged a protest outside the board headquarters. The demonstrations were organized under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of employees, engineers, and pensioners of the state electricity board.
Opposition to Electricity Amendment Bill 2025
The protest aimed to draw attention to key issues related to the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which is expected to be introduced in Parliament during the current Budget Session.
The JAC alleged that the Central Government is continuously pressuring state governments to privatize power distribution companies and has proposed multiple amendments to electricity laws in that direction.
According to the committee, states where electricity distribution has been privatized have not achieved the expected results. Instead, consumers and state governments have faced financial and administrative challenges. Despite this, efforts are reportedly being made to introduce competition by allowing multiple distribution companies in a single area and permitting private firms to use the government electricity board’s network.
The proposed bill also includes provisions to phase out cross-subsidies for middle- and lower-income consumers, while responsibility for supplying electricity to remote and tribal areas would remain with government companies. Protesters termed this a move that could weaken the federal powers of states.
Employment and Financial Concerns
The Joint Action Committee emphasized that the power sector is a major source of employment for youth in Himachal Pradesh. Privatization, they argued, would significantly reduce job opportunities.
Currently, around 64 percent of the board’s revenue comes from industrial consumers. If these consumers shift to private companies, the financial stability of the state-run electricity company could be severely affected, impacting employee service conditions, pension payments, and future security.
The committee also opposed the Centre’s smart metering scheme, claiming that its financial burden would fall on the public while private companies may benefit in the long term.
Demand to Strengthen Public Sector
JAC leaders, including Lokesh Thakur, Heera Lal Verma, Mukesh Rathi, Prashant Sharma, Manohar Lal, Ashwani Sharma, Narendra Thakur, S.K. Soni, and A.S. Gupta, strongly opposed any move toward privatization.
They demanded strengthening of the electricity board instead of privatizing it, fresh recruitment to address staff shortages, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), a permanent policy for long-serving outsourced workers, and immediate payment of pending retirement benefits.
The committee warned that if the Centre proceeds with privatization, a large-scale public movement would be launched across the state to safeguard the public power infrastructure.
