KPTCL employees stage protest opposing privatisation of power supply

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KPTCL employees staging a protest in Shivamogga on Wednesday, opposing the proposal to privatise power supply in the State. | Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh

The employees of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL), on Wednesday, staged a protest in Shivamogga opposing the proposal to privatise the transmission of power in the State.

The employees, who gathered at the Main Receiving Station in the city, raised slogans opposing the move to hand over power transmission to Tata Power Company Limited. They said they had learnt through the media that the private company had applied for parallel distribution licences to supply power in the State.

Listing the possible consequences of privatising power distribution, the protesters claimed that private companies would cherry-pick only profitable areas while ignoring other localities. This, they said, would eventually lead to loss of employment opportunities for the youth, and a rise in power tariffs, putting consumers in difficulty.

They further argued that handing over infrastructure built with public money to private companies could result in the misuse of public funds. In the coming years, farmers might also lose reliable power supply to their irrigation pump sets.

In a memorandum submitted to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, the protesters demanded that electricity supply companies be retained under the State government’s control.

The protest was led by Employees Union leaders Indudhar, Hemanna, Kumar and others.