IMPHAL, October 9: The Manipur Electricity Employees Union today organized a mass sit in protest at Keishampat against the decision of the state to privatize the electricity department.
The union also demanded the regularisation of the work charge and muster roll employees of the department.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the protest, working president of the union, Yumnam Ranapratap Singh said electricity is considered by one and all to be an essential commodity of the modern world.
He said that in such a juncture, the decision of the government to privatize the department is against the interest of the people.
The government has decided to hand over the department to two private companies one each for power distribution and the other for power generation and transmission, he said.
The trade unions of the department were never informed of the move to privatize the department even though all employees of the department including the regular, work charged and the muster roll employees have been working with all sincerity and wholeheartedness, he lamented.
Ranapratap also urged the government on the issue of their service protection after the department is privatized to the interest of the corporate houses.