Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/ JAMMU, Nov 6: As a part of nation-wide campaign, a protest demonstration was held under the banner of CITU at Srinagar against privatization of Electricity, Railways, PSUs and installation of smart meters.
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While addressing the demonstration, CITU president Mohd Yousuf Tarigami expressed serious concern over problems being faced by the working class. The strike is part of the continuous struggle against the anti-worker and anti-people neoliberal policies of the BJP led Government. The present Government pro-corporate is reversing the hard-earned rights of the labour unions.
Privatisation of electricity emphasized the risk of establishing monopoly control over consumers through the market. The Central Government’s preferred approach, termed ‘unbundling,’ is essentially a move towards privatising the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The Government aims to dismantle state-owned distribution companies, handing over the entire public asset to private players, both domestic and foreign. If the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 is passed, private distributors will not have to invest in creating their own distribution infrastructure to obtain a parallel license for electricity distribution.
The privatisation of Railways would affect the dangerous consequences of unbundling the Indian Railways and separating the roles of policy, production, regulation, and operation to promote privatisation, which is the core strategy of the ruling class, he added.
CITU leader said that the consumers are aggrieved and cannot afford inflated bills generated by Smart Meters. Despite resentment, the administration is going ahead with the move. We need adequate electricity but not meters only.
Meanwhile, a joint protest by Jammu & Kashmir State Committee of CITU, and Jammu & Kashmir Kisan Tehrik was held today in front of the office of Railways authorities at Railway Station Jammu against privatization of Indian Railways by Modi Government. Hundreds of workers participated in the protest holding placards in their hands and chanting slogans against privatization of Railways.
While addressing protesters Hari Singh Regional Secretary of CPI(M) said that the Indian Railways is the life line of our economy but the Modi Government is handing it over to the big corporate who have not invested anything in building this infrastructure and now they will be enable to use Railways built with people’s money to loot the people and make big profits.
Om Parkash working president of state CITU said that privatization is an important component of the neoliberal regime and the attempt to privatize Indian Railways is part of this neoliberal process and private players would be free to use the railways land for commercial purposes – construct hotels, shopping malls etc, its impact will be like no parking place for rickshaw, taxi and auto drivers near the railway station.
Kishore Kumar, president J&K Kisan Tehrik also spoke on the occasion.
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