UP power employees to launch Jail Bharo Andolan against discom privatisation

Hindustan Times

22-06-2025

A statewide mass movement and 'jail bharo andolan' will be launched in Uttar Pradesh the moment tenders are issued for the privatisation of Purvanchal and Dakshinanchal power distribution companies (Discoms). For representation only
The decision was taken unanimously at a 'Bijli Mahapanchayat' convened under the banner of the Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, UP, where leaders from electricity employees' unions, railway federations, state employee associations, farmers' groups, and consumer organisations pledged joint resistance against the proposed move.
Railway union leader Shiv Gopal Mishra warned that if privatisation is imposed, railway workers across India would stand in solidarity with electricity employees and join them in court arrests. Farmer leader Darshan Pal and Transparency International's Ramanath Jha, addressing the gathering virtually, also extended their full support. Several state employees' associations, engineers' groups, and teachers' unions declared solidarity with the agitation.
The Mahapanchayat announced a nationwide protest on July 2, followed by a one-day symbolic strike on July 9, involving 27 lakh power sector employees.
'If tenders are floated, we will launch an indefinite work boycott and a Jail Bharo andolan in UP with full support from farmers and consumers,' said Sangharsh Samiti convenor Shailendra Dubey.
Speakers at the event described the privatisation of power utilities as a threat to national security, citing the example of Operation Sindoor in Jammu & Kashmir, during which uninterrupted power supply was maintained despite drone attacks, thanks to government-managed electricity services. Alleging large-scale corruption behind the privatisation push, they demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities involving power sector transactions and officials.
The gathering also pointed to failed privatisation efforts in Agra and other cities, claiming that Torrent Power alone defaulted on payments of ₹ 2,200 crore in Agra. Speakers warned that the extension of this 'failed model' to Purvanchal and Dakshinanchal would adversely affect poor and middle-class consumers across 42 districts.
The Mahapanchayat resolved to continue the agitation until the privatisation proposal is withdrawn, warning that any attempt to suppress the movement would trigger widespread protests across the state.