The employees’ union of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has called a three-day strike, starting at midnight on Tuesday, against Adani electricity company which is seeking power distribution licence for the Bhandup Zone.
The workers have raised an alarm against the alleged privatisation move of the government by allowing entry to the Adani company. The unions claimed that the protest is not for employees but mainly for consumers, and said that if they do not intervene now, electricity charges may soon go up as private players enter the field.
Taking to social media, the unions have alerted citizens about the strike and asked them to have a back-up option for electricity and store adequate water in tanks to avoid inconvenience during the strike.
Meanwhile, an MSEDCL employees’ union meeting has been arranged at 1 pm on Wednesday at Sahyadri guest house with state Electricity Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister.
As a provision, the MSEDCL – popularly known as Mahavitaran – has kept private agencies on standby mode for the operation and management of electricity distribution services. It has announced strict action against employees who join the strike.
The MSEDCL has also established a 24×7 control room in Mumbai, in its main headquarters, and all zonal offices. Employees on leave have also been asked to resume work immediately. Privately hired agencies joining the strike will also be removed.
What to do in case of power cuts?
As per the Public Relations Office of MSEDCL, retired officers, contract workers, employees, engineers and others will be deployed at different power supply zones during the strike period. Also, in case of power cuts during the three-day strike, people can contact the toll-free helpline numbers 1800-212-3435/1800-233-3435/1912/19120 issued by the MSEDCL.
