Chandigarh, 24 December 2024: The UT administration has extended the deadline for transferring its power department assets to the Kolkata-based RP-Sanjiv Goenka (RPSG) Group to February next year, citing the time-consuming documentation process. The transfer was initially scheduled for December 31.
“We expect the process to be finalized by the first week of February,” a senior UT official stated.
The privatisation process began on November 9, 2020, with RPSG emerging as the highest bidder at ₹871 crore. However, the transfer has faced delays due to legal hurdles. Employees challenged the move in court, but after both the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court dismissed their pleas, the road to privatisation was cleared on November 7.
Since the court rulings, electricity department employees have staged continuous protests, supported by political opposition. On December 18, Congress workers began a seven-day chain hunger strike, opposing the privatisation and demanding job security for employees.
In response, the RPSG Group released a statement countering allegations about rising electricity rates and potential layoffs. The company assured the public that neither tariffs nor jobs would be impacted and rejected claims that a profitable government department was being privatized unfairly.
As protests continue, the administration faces mounting pressure to balance privatisation efforts with concerns over the move’s impact on employees and consumers.
