BENGALURU: Karnataka Electricity Consumer Association (KERC) has vehemently opposed the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and feared that if this bill is passed, it will privatise the power supply sector and convert it into a profit-making one.
Addressing the first State Level Conference of Electricity Consumers in Bengaluru on Sunday, K Somashekar, vice-president, All India Electricity Consumers’ Association (AIECA) said, “The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 should be opposed tooth and nail as the consumers are going to be affected, and will end up paying for the greedy private companies.” He claimed that even the Bill has been passed in Parliament, works have commenced towards privatising the sector.
“Privatisation of power sector will be disastrous. Those countries which have attempted to do it have seen a total failure. Maharashtra and Odisha have suffered the ramifications of privatisation. We demand that the central government withdraw the bill,” said Somashekar.
Gnanamurthy V, state leader of Karnataka Electricity Consumers’ Association, said, “The way we choose telecom services, a consumer can choose multiple power service providers. The bill, contrary to what it projects, will not improve the quality of the power distribution but will only make way for exploitation of consumers.”