Workers, opposition parties stage mahadharna against privatisation of Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Plant in Andhra Pradesh

‘The project displaced people, who were given jobs on contract basis, are staring at a bleak future following the privitisation move’

Workers and activists of opposition parties under the banner of the Struggle Committee formed against the privatisation of Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Plant (SDSTPS) have staged a ‘Mahadharna’ in front of the entrance gate of the plant at Nellatur in Nellore district. They opposed the government’s decision to hand over the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the plant to a private player.

The workers, including those employed on contract basis led by Struggle Committee convenor M. Mohan Rao and CITU industrial cluster secretary G. Srinivasulu gathered the main gate of the plant and raised slogans demanding continuing the State-owned power plant in the public sector, even as the Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Limited (APPDCL) called for bids on November 22 (Tuesday).

Expressing solidarity with the agitating workers, Telugu Desam Party Polit Bureau member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that it was unfortunate that the YSRCP government had decided to give the first super-critical thermal plant to private parties on a platter for unknown reasons. “The power plant has incurred a loss of over ₹700 crore because of the supply of 9 lakh tonnes of inferior quality coal by a company close to the YSRCP,” he alleged.

CPI(M) district secretary M. Ramesh lamented that the project displaced people, who were given jobs on contract basis were facing a bleak future following the privitisation move. The services of all 1,100 contract workers should be regularised, he added.

CPI district secretary D. Ankaiah feared hefty increase in power tariff if the State government went ahead with the bids from prospective private buyers to carryout the O&M services including fuel management for the plant.

The Request for Proposal documents was made available by the APGENCO from Tuesday.