Karad: Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) employees during a protest against its proposed privatisation, in Karad, Maharashtra, Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The employees’ union of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), who had called a three-day strike beginning Tuesday midnight, announced the withdrawal of their strike on Thursday much to the relief of consumers.
The strike was called off after representatives of the three state-owned power companies – the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (Mahavitaran), the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. (Mahapareshan) and Maharashtra State Electricity Generation Co Ltd (Mahanirmiti) – along with those of 32 employee unions had a long meeting with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at the state residence ‘Varsha’ in Mumbai.
A major demand of the protestors was that the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) not issue a ‘parallel distribution licence’ to the Adani Group’s power subsidiary, which is reportedly seeking a licence for power distribution in Mumbai’s Bhandup Zone.
Following the meeting, Mr. Fadnavis, assured the unions of three state-owned power companies that the State government had no intention to privatize these companies.
“On the contrary, over the next three years the Maharashtra government will make an investment of Rs. 50,000 crore in different assets in these three companies… We have no intention of doing in Maharashtra what Delhi and Odisha have done with their state-owned electricity companies,” said Mr. Fadnavis, speaking to reporters after the meeting.
Stating that the discussions with the union representatives were “positive” and that the government had accepted most of the demands, Mr. Fadnavis said that the prime reason for the strike was the issue of parallel licencing.
“A private company has moved an application before the MERC requesting a licence. The unions wanted us [the State government] to contest this as they were worried about profitability of the State-owned companies and a cascading effect that would happen if a licence was granted to a private player. I assured them that we will contest this,” said the Deputy CM, adding that henceforth all efforts would be made to close the “communication gap” between the unions and the government which had compelled the unions to strike.
Adani Electricity Navi Mumbai Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Transmission, had applied to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for a parallel licence for power distribution under the jurisdiction of Mahavitaran in Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Taloja and Uran areas.
Before the result of the meeting, the strike, which commenced in the wee hours itself, hit several rural pockets and industrial zones across the State with nine districts – including Pune Rural and parts of Vidarbha region – being badly-affected, said sources.
The State government had invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), even as protests remained peaceful.