A RESOLVE TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST
ANTI-PEOPLE, ANTI-NATIONAL POWER POLICY AND NEW REFORMS.
(Held at New Delhi on 2nd and 3rd December 1997)
The Indian power sector is now a century old. The development of the power sector especially after independence is certainly a matter of pride. In quantitative terms, the sector has grown fifty times in the last forty-five years. This growth has helped in making crucial electrical services available even to remote rural households and farms.
However, these carry certain blemishes.These blemishes could be described in terms of five crisis: capital, performance, equity, environmental, and social.
With shooting losses, dwindling revenues, continuing low efficiencies, and increasing expenditures, the state-owned power sector institutions experiencing the capital and performance crisis are on the brink of complete or partial collapse.
As far as equity in access is concerned, despite the immense quantitative growth, about half of the country's population continue to be deprived of crucial electrical services.
Similarly, in achieving the quantitative growth, grave and widespread destruction of natural resource was caused. In most cases these damages are irreversible and are, often, result of sheer neglect and utter disregard of environmental considerations.
Along with this reckless environmental destruction, millions of families were physically uprooted, displaced, and left in lurch without proper rehabilitation. Further, with the destruction of natural resources, the survival of large number of communities depending upon them for livelihoods was threatened. Unfortunately, despite such an immense human tragedy, the neglect of social considerations continued.
However, those who were at the helm of power sector reacted in a selective manner. After a brief period of effort to correct the distortions within the existing framework, an era of fundamental structural reforms began. Efforts in both phases have been characterized by their sole emphasis on addressing capital and performance crisis.
The reforms essentially meant sell-off of the publicly-owned assets and creation of new avenues for profiteering by private capital at the cost of the state-owned enterprises. It also meant handing over the full and effective control of the power sector to the international capital. This was brought about by corrupt and unholy alliance of vested interests.
As a result, in addition to aggravating the five crises, the sectoral reforms are posing serious threats to the economic stability and national sovereignty.
There are three broad areas where immediate and urgent actions are needed in order to address the five crises and the threat to the stability and sovereignty of the country.
Our Resolves:
We, therefore, resolve to strive for achieve the following.
No new policies be announced and no new bills be enacted by the central and state governments that are directly or indirectly aimed at privatisation.
Complete data and information on the implications of the already announced policies and bills be immediately made available to the public.A comprehensive analysis of the consequences of these policies and bills be undertaken and results of these analyses be made available to the public immediately.
Every effort be made by the concerned governments to stop implementation of these policies and bills. Similarly, efforts be made to stop or curtail the adverse consequences of the projects like Enron and Cogentrix that have disastrous implications for the health of the power sector as well as the economy, environment and sovereignty of this country.
The public-owned power sector institutions be granted operational autonomy which is essential for reducing undue influence of partisan and vested interests, to increase techno-economic efficiency and for regain financial health of power sector.
While giving this operational autonomy, proper structures, mechanisms and procedures be introduced in the power sector institutions to ensure complete transparency and direct accountability to public.
Such an operational autonomy needs to be circumscribed by the social responsibility given to the public-owned power institutions.
Along with the techno-economic considerations, social and environmental considerations be integrated into the policy-making process as fundamental considerations.
In this direction, minimizing the totality of economic, social and environmental costs be the basic criteria for policy making process and for sanctioning the specific projects.
This means that serious and large-scale disruptions for power projects be allowed only as the last resort. The last resort status need to be established in an open, transparent and participatory manner. Participation of those who are affected by the social and environmental disruptions be ensured. In the case of inevitable rehabilitation of affected people be given the first priority and be done in a responsible manner.
In order to establish accountability and ensure participation, proper institutional structures, procedures, mechanisms (such as public hearings) be introduced from community to state level and then to central level.As a starting point, the right to information should be accepted as a fundamental right.
On technological front, emphasis should be on socially and environmentally benign renewable technologies in the immediate as well as in long terms.
These resolves were unanimously endorsed by the participants in the Seminar on Power Policy held on 2nd and 3rd December 1997 at New Delhi. Participants included eminent academics and researches, retired power sector officials, representatives of various national trade unions, people's organisations and other social institutions.
Seminar was organised by:
PRAYAS, Initiatives in Health, Energy Learning and Parenthood, Amrita Clinic, Athawale Corner, Karve Road Corner, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune - 411 004 Phone: 0212-341230 Fax:0212-331250,323239