Engineers' federation asks govt to put discom privatisation on hold

19 Apr 2021 CW Staff

The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has urged the government to put on hold the privatisation of electricity distribution companies (discoms).

AIPEF told the media that the government must put on hold the privatisation of electricity distribution and stop entrusting the electricity departments of union territories (UTs) to private enterprises.

The federation mentioned that neither the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2021 nor the standard bidding document has been finalised, but the UTs of Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli are moving rapidly towards the privatisation of their electricity departments.

The standard bid documents for privatising electricity discoms were put on the Ministry of Power's (MoP) website on 22 September 2020, and were to be applied across the country.

The ministry has stated that the standard bid documents have still not been finalised, claimed AIPEF. The federation pointed out that this puts a question on the entire bidding process of UTs privatisation process.

While in Chandigarh, the bidding was for 100% equity, in Dadra Nagar Haveli, it was for 51%. There is confusion and uncertainty in overbidding the process itself, it claimed.

AIPEF said that in the case of Dadra Nagar Haveli, the bids had been opened, and Torrent had claimed to have won the bid with the highest offer of Rs 555 lakh against a reserve price of Rs 150 lakh.

The Bombay High Court has stayed the further process in case of a PIL filed before it. In the case of UT Chandigarh, the technical bids were opened on March 18, but the opening of financial bids is awaited.

The UT Power Union had challenged the bidding before Punjab Haryana High Court, and the next date of hearing is April 29, it said. The draft amendment bill 2021 has been circulated to the selected few in the month of February, and the power ministry held a discussion on the proposals with all the state power secretaries and CMDs of discom and regulators, stated AIPEF.

Image Source

Also read: NITI Aayog lists 12 PSUs for privatisation

Also read: Ministry of Power: Discoms owe Rs 12.3k cr to RE companies

The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has urged the government to put on hold the privatisation of electricity distribution companies (discoms). AIPEF told the media that the government must put on hold the privatisation of electricity distribution and stop entrusting the electricity departments of union territories (UTs) to private enterprises. The federation mentioned that neither the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2021 nor the standard bidding document has been finalised, but the UTs of Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli are moving rapidly towards the privatisation of their electricity departments. The standard bid documents for privatising electricity discoms were put on the Ministry of Power's (MoP) website on 22 September 2020, and were to be applied across the country. The ministry has stated that the standard bid documents have still not been finalised, claimed AIPEF. The federation pointed out that this puts a question on the entire bidding process of UTs privatisation process. While in Chandigarh, the bidding was for 100% equity, in Dadra Nagar Haveli, it was for 51%. There is confusion and uncertainty in overbidding the process itself, it claimed. AIPEF said that in the case of Dadra Nagar Haveli, the bids had been opened, and Torrent had claimed to have won the bid with the highest offer of Rs 555 lakh against a reserve price of Rs 150 lakh. The Bombay High Court has stayed the further process in case of a PIL filed before it. In the case of UT Chandigarh, the technical bids were opened on March 18, but the opening of financial bids is awaited. The UT Power Union had challenged the bidding before Punjab Haryana High Court, and the next date of hearing is April 29, it said. The draft amendment bill 2021 has been circulated to the selected few in the month of February, and the power ministry held a discussion on the proposals with all the state power secretaries and CMDs of discom and regulators, stated AIPEF. Image Source Also read: NITI Aayog lists 12 PSUs for privatisation Also read: Ministry of Power: Discoms owe Rs 12.3k cr to RE companies

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Infrastructure Energy

05 Nov 2025

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..