Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) in a letter to the Power Minister (Govt of India), has urged him to modify the proposed amendments after taking due cognizance of the comments and objections received from all stakeholders.
V K Gupta, spokesperson of the Federation said that Ministry of Power in its presentation on proposed Draft Amendments to Electricity Act 2003 on July 3 mentioned that the comments of the State Governments and state power utilities have been received and based on comments of all stakeholders the draft proposed amendments shall be modified suitably.
Now, after incorporating the comments and objections received, particularly from the 12 States and bodies such as AIPEF & other Engineers and Employees Federations, the Power Ministry must put on its website the amended document.
The stakeholders must be given another opportunity to respond to the amended draft and submit their fresh comments.
Meanwhile, former Power secretary has said that the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act 2003 lack sufficient application of mind, and the Government of India should refrain from going ahead with the draft amendments.
He has commented upon the various proposals of the Bill 2020. He said that the Central Government has “crossed the federal boundaries” while electricity remains as a concurrent subject in the Constitution of India.
It seems that the Government is more concerned over the profitability of private sector power companies than for protecting the electricity consumers’ interests.
Proposal of Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA) is to favor private sector power producers and to stop the move of some State Governments to re-negotiate solar power contracts to reduce the cost of power to the consumers.
The proposal for introducing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for subsidy is not prudent.
AIPEF has forwarded the comments of EAS Sharma (Power Secy) to all the Chief Ministers and requested them to impress upon the Government that it is not justified to rush through such electricity amendments during the present COVID-19 crisis and to put on hold the proposed Amendments to Electricity Act 2003.
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