Engineers' Body Seeks Deliberations on Electricity Amendment Bill

The All-India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has written to the Prime Minister, requesting "extensive discussions" with various stakeholders before the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is pushed in Parliament.

In a letter to the prime minister, the federation emphasised that the draught bill should not be pushed through Parliament during the epidemic, and that extensive consultations with power sector engineers and personnel should take place, according to an AIPEF statement.

According to V K Gupta, an AIPEF spokeswoman, the Ministry of Power distributed the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 only to state secretaries of energy on February 5 for comments to be provided within two weeks, which was insufficient.

This method is abnormal and deficient since key stakeholders such as power sector engineers and staff, as well as energy users, have been barred from providing feedback, according to the report. Furthermore, video conferences were planned to be held on February 17 to provide opinions on modifications even before the two-week deadline.

Regulators were also included in the virtual talks. The entire process of rushing this law through is so opaque, undemocratic, and discriminatory, according to the report. Furthermore, video conferences were planned to be held on February 17 to provide opinions on modifications even before the two-week deadline.

Regulators were also included in the virtual talks. The entire process of rushing this law through is so opaque, undemocratic, and discriminatory, according to the report. The federation has addressed this problem from the start, requesting a six-month delay due to the current epidemic, it noted.

The attempt to alter the electricity statute 2003 by excluding significant stakeholders is against the constitution, according to the AIPEF, because electricity is a concurrent topic. According to Gupta, the administration is attempting to hurry through modifications to the Electricity Act of 2003, which might result in far-reaching consequences as a result of rash judgments made without proper study or discussion.

The federation has addressed this problem from the start, requesting a six-month delay due to the current epidemic, it noted.

The attempt to alter the electricity statute 2003 by excluding significant stakeholders is against the constitution, according to the AIPEF, because electricity is a concurrent topic. According to Gupta, the administration is attempting to hurry through modifications to the Electricity Act of 2003, which might result in far-reaching consequences as a result of rash judgments made without proper study or discussion.

It was suggested that the government examine the performance of state power utilities before releasing a new draught of the electricity modification law for public comment.

The suggested modifications should not be "confined" to a small number of stakeholders, the organisation advised, but rather all stakeholders' perspectives should be considered.

To satisfy international responsibilities, an increase in the green power objective from 175 GW by 2022 to 450 GW by 2030 must be debated before it is finalised. According to the federation, power sector engineers and personnel are now busy maintaining round-the-clock energy to the farm sector and fulfilling peak demand in their respective states.

It asked that they be given adequate time to debate the law once the country's normalcy has been restored following the second pandemic wave. The administration must not make the same error as the last time it tried to push through changes by ignoring concerns.