Maharashtra power firm unions' three-day strike begins; MESMA Imposed

Representative image.

Thousands of employees of three state-owned power companies went on a 72-hour strike on January 4 to protest against the privatisation of power firms even as the government invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), a leader from the employees' union said.

The government has asked the officials concerned to take all necessary steps to ensure normal supply of electricity in the state.

Thousands of employees of the three companies were participating in the strike which started at midnight, Krushna Bhoir, general secretary of the Maharashtra State Electricity Workers' Federation, told PTI.

The Maharashtra Rajya Karmachari, Adhikari, and Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti have called the strike. Reportedly, Panvel and Belapur areas around Mumbai are witnessing power cuts. Amidst the strike, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has assured to address issues faced by its consumer.

MSEDCL said in a tweet, “Dear consumer, we regret for the inconvenience. We kindly request you to ignore this kind of message because the strike is gonna done by union not by MSEDCL. If you are facing any issue, you can contact us. We will try to solve your problem as soon as possible.”

Dear consumer, we regret for the inconvenience. We kindly request you to ignore this kind of message because the strike is gonna done by union not by MSEDCL. If you are facing any issue, you can contact us. We will try to solve your problem as soon as possible.

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— Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (@MSEDCL) January 3, 2023

"More than 30 unions of drivers, wiremen, engineers, and other employees have come together to thwart the attempt of privatisation in the state-owned power companies," Bhoir told PTI.