BENGALURU: Basavanna C, general secretary, Federation of Karnataka Electricity Board Employees’ Union and Associations, on Tuesday said they have launched a 30-day drive, asking consumers to join them and oppose the entry of private firms in the energy sector.
This comes a day after Tata Power Company Ltd announced that it was applying to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) for distribution licence in select jurisdictions of Bescom, Mescom, Hescom and CESC.
Basavanna said they would ask consumers to file objections before the KERC. The union will also appeal to KERC and the state government to reject the proposal. While Eescoms and KPTCL work on no profit-no loss method, private firms only think of profit, he said.
The government is offering many subsidy schemes for farmers and economically backward sections, which are not considered by private players. They demand money for any service provided, which is not good for consumers, he said.
He said the tariff for consumers will also increase. Citing the example of Maharashtra, he said industrial tariff is around Rs 14 per unit, while in Karnataka it is Rs 8 per unit. There is regulation by KERC in Karnataka, but after the entry of private players, control will be limited.
There are 55,000 employees working in various agencies of the energy department, who are members of the union.