Assam Electricity Employees Protest Electricity Amendment Bill, Warn of Escalation

Electricity employees and engineers across Assam staged widespread protest demonstrations on Tuesday against the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, warning of an intensified agitation if the central government proceeds with passing the legislation during the ongoing budget session of Parliament.

The protests were organised under the banner of the Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees, Engineers, and Pensioners (CCOEEEP), following a nationwide call by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE).

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The central protest was held in front of Bijulee Bhawan — the headquarters of Assam's state power utilities in Guwahati — where around 500 electricity employees and engineers participated despite the heat. Similar demonstrations were simultaneously held across electrical circles, divisions, and subdivision offices throughout the state.

Protesters raised slogans demanding the scrapping of the bill, opposing the removal of cross-subsidies, and protesting against what they described as the systematic privatisation of the electricity sector.

According to the protesting organisations, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 is being pushed through Parliament with the objective of further privatising electricity distribution in the country.

Employee unions alleged that privatisation-oriented reforms implemented after the Electricity Act of 2003 have already pushed the country's public electricity distribution sector into cumulative losses of Rs 6.9 lakh crore. They argued that the proposed amendment would accelerate this trend rather than reverse it.

The unions have raised particular objections to two clauses of the proposed bill. Clause 14, they said, would allow multiple private companies to operate electricity distribution in areas currently served by public utilities. Clause 42 would permit private companies to use the existing infrastructure of public distribution companies to supply electricity to consumers — effectively enabling private operators to piggyback on publicly built networks.

Protesters concluded the demonstration with a warning that their agitation would intensify if the central government moves ahead with passing the bill.