CCORMAU demands Govt to scrap decision for privatisation of MeECL

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 2, 2021

The Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL Employees Associations and Unions (CCORMAU) have demanded the state government to scrap all its decisions related to outsourcing of the MeECL to private companies.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday, CCORMAU president P Marwein said, “(We) strongly urge that these plans be scrapped.”

“The CCORMAU would like to urge upon the CM to scrap the LOA (letter of award issued to M/s BECIL, Noida Uttar Pradesh for operation and maintenance of 56 33/11 KV substations) in total in the interest of the MeECL and the state as a whole,” he said.

Marwein said the committee also thanked the CM for keeping in abeyance the handing over of these 56 substations to BECIL adding that the fact is that maintenance cost will be much less if operated and run by the MeECL itself.

He said since the date of commercial operations of these substations, the employees of the MeECL have run these stations with utmost efficiency, restoring station availability in optimal time.

The CCORMAU feels that there is neither merit nor justification in the decision to outsource this same scope of work to outside parties at an exorbitant rate.

Further, if run by MeECL, it will help generate employment for the unemployed youths of the state thereby improving their standard of living and securing their future.

“The decision to offer an outside party to handle the affairs of running the substations of MeECL is a step towards privatization and such policies have cut down the hopes of unemployed and trained/skilled youths of the state in getting their service regularized in the future,” Marwein said.

On the government’s decision to hand over two distribution circles to RECPDCL, the CCORMAU president said the employees strongly protest such a move which is unwanted and unnecessary that will only weaken the MeECL.

He said it may be mentioned that the two circles proposed for handing over to distribution franchisees are actually having some of the lowest aggregate technical and commercial losses. Power interruptions are also the least. Billing efficiency of these two circles is more than 95 percent.

He said further these are very high revenue generating circles of MePDCL with the largest number of employees adding the future of the employees has been put at stake and this has caused much anxiety and unrest among them.

“(We therefore,) urge upon the CM to kindly intervene and stop the handing over of functions to the distribution franchisee (as) this will impact badly upon employment generation for local youths as there is no guarantee that outside firm(s) will permanently employ locals, according to reservation policies,” Marwein added.

Further, the CCORMAU also urged the government to stop the invitation for operation and maintenance of power stations of Leshka and New Umtru, which are very vital power stations having highest efficiency of power generation.