India may face power outage on July 9 as lakhs of employees plan a nation-wide strike

Electricity supply across India may be disrupted on July 9, as more than 27 lakh power sector employees are expected to join a one-day nationwide strike. The strike is in protest against the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to privatise two major power distribution companies — Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam (PVVNL) and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam (DVVNL).

Two discoms cover majority of UP districts

Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of the All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF), said that the two discoms together serve 42 out of the 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh. He said the decision to privatise these companies has raised serious concerns among power sector workers across the country.

Allegations of undervaluation and favouritism

Dubey alleged that Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd and some senior government officials are working in collusion with private players to sell public assets at low prices.


He said, “The process is on to float the tender inviting bids from interested parties. We are against this, and over 27 power employees across states will hold a one-day strike in July against the privatisation of the two discoms. The strike may also affect power supply.”

Nationwide warning protests on July 2

Ahead of the July 9 strike, a series of demonstrations will be held across several cities on July 2. The AIPEF has said that these demonstrations are being organised as a warning move before the main strike.

Protests are scheduled in cities including Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Vadodara, Rajkot, Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Ranchi, Srinagar, Jammu, Shimla, Dehradun, Patiala, Jaipur, Kota, Hisar, and Lucknow.

(Inputs from PTI)