MHA cancels meet to review progress of power privatisation and implementation of RDSS
The Hindu
Meeting to review power distribution privatisation and RDSS implementation in Union Territories postponed, sparking concerns over privatisation efforts.
The meeting to review the progress of privatisation of power distribution and implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in Union Territories did not take place on Thursday as scheduled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to a source in the Puducherry administration.
“The meeting did not take place as scheduled. It was not a meeting pertaining to Puducherry alone as was made out to be. It was more to do with RDSS than privatisation. The meeting was scheduled to be held with Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Island, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry,” the source said.
After a meeting notice signed by Ravi Ranjan, Second-in Command, MHA, started circulating in social media, political parties here raised apprehensions about a possible move by the Union Government to renew the effort to privatise the Puducherry Electricity Department.
The notice sent to the Chief Secretaries of U.T.s and Secretary, Ministry of Power on August 20 said the Additional Secretary, U.T. in the Ministry would chair a meeting to review the progress of “privatisation of power departments/utilities and implementation of RDSS in (U.T.s) on August 22.”
The source said the MHA holds such meetings with officials of U.T.s to review the progress of Centrally funded schemes. “This time, power privatisation also figured in the agenda but it was not targeted at Puducherry alone,” a senior official told The Hindu.
The reports of the scheduled meeting on Thursday prompted political parties to issue statements expressing their concern on privastisation. The CPI had issued a statement on Wednesday appealing to the Chief Minister to prevent any attempt by the Centre to privatise the department.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday formed a human chain on Jawaharlal Nehru Street-Mahatma Gandhi Road junction to oppose the privatisation move. The party secretary R. Rajangam said the Chief Minister has given an assurance not to take any step without consulting the employees.
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