Move to privatise 3 urban power circles opposed

By A City Correspondent GUWAHATI, June 29 – The proposed move of the Government to hand over three urban electrical distribution circle to franchisees which has already been opposed by the employees of the ASEB came in for strong criticism on Sunday from prominent citizens including Dr Hiren Gohain and political parties. Leaders and intellectuals participating in a citizens convention organized by the National Co-ordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers, Assam branch unanimously voiced their resentment against the move of the Government to hand over the Guwahati, Tinsukia and Silchar urban electrical distribution circle to franchisees. Terming it as a conspiracy to hand over ASEB’s selected profit-earning urban electrical distribution circles, the citizens called upon the Government to revise its stand.It may be mentioned here that the proposed urban electrical distribution circles have been contributing more than 50 per cent of total revenue to the ASEB coffers. At present the Guwahati circle has been collecting more than Rs 25 crore and the Tinsukia and Silchar circles have been collecting around Rs 15 crore per month.The proposed move has also been opposed by the Association of Engineers, ASEB, which has maintained that the move was not at all need-based.Convenor of the co-ordination committee Dipak Kumar Saha informed that the issue would be now placed before the public. “So far we have been opposing the proposed move, now we have decided to place the matter before the public,” said Saha.The convention adopted the resolution to form a working group that will study the adverse impact of privatisation and prepare a comprehensive report on it. “We have also decided to intensify our opposition to the move,” said Saha adding that the next step would be submission of memorandum to the Governor. Public meetings would be held across the State to get a verdict on the proposed move.On earlier occasions, the co-ordination committee had submitted memorandum to the Chief Minister and staged demonstration at the ASEB’s head quarters. source: assam tribune