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Deadlock persists

Power workers against privatisation of Anpara C

LUCKNOW: Even as the deadlock between the Uttar Pradesh government and state power employees continues over privatisation of Anpara `C' thermal power unit, the power authorities are engaged in finalising modalities with regards to alternative arrangement in the event of a strike.

The employees have threatened strike if the private parties representatives visited the 1000 MW Anpara unit in Sonbhadra district of the state.

"The state government will go ahead with its privatisation plan and is ready for any eventuality,'' official sources told UNI here.

The state government was alive to the fact that the people do not have to face problem in the event of strike as the power scenario in the state was already bad and there was a huge gap between demand and demand, sources asserted.

The state government had approached the engineers of the NTPC, Power Grid Corporation, BHEL and NHPC ensuring they would have to take charge of the U.P. power generating units, if the employees went on strike.

"The government would face the strike with a `firm' hand as it did in 2000 when the NTPC technical team had taken over the power installations during the strike period."

Power Employees Joint Action Committee spokesperson Shailendra Dubey said the employees were ready to go to any `extent' if the representatives of private power companies entered Anpara C. "We will proceed on our flash strike if the representatives entered the Anpara premises.''

The government, however, seems to be in no hurry to send private parties' representatives to Anpara and it would happen only after all the alternative arrangements are in place.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (Power) Atul Kumar Gupta made it clear that the apprehension of power employees about the privatisation was unfounded as there was enough assurance from the government that neither there would be any retrenchment or subsequent privatisation of Anpara A or B.

Reiterating the government was committed to the privatisation of Anpara C, he said the representatives would be visiting Anpara at a later date.

On the other hand, Mr Dubey alleged the government was only interested in handing over Anpara C unit to Reliance. "We are not against Reliance power unit at Dadri, but oppose privatisation of Anpara C, where 40 per cent facilities already existed, making it an attractive buy for the Reliance.'' -- UNI

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Deadlock persists

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