Jail Bharo Andolan: UP Power Corporation Employees Protest against Privatisation
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The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is preparing to issue the privatization tender for Purvanchal and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam in the first half of July 2025. The move has triggered strong opposition from electricity workers and consumer groups.
Before issuing the tender, UPPCL is finalizing its response to the queries raised by the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) regarding the bidding documents. Once the corporation files its reply with the commission, the official tender notification is expected to be released.
Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is a state government company, responsible for electricity transmission and distribution within the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
| Native name | उत्तर प्रदेश पावर कारपोरेशन लिमिटेड |
|---|---|
| Company type | Uttar Pradesh State Government Undertaking |
| Industry | Electric Power |
| Predecessor | UPSEB |
| Founded | 30 November 1999; 25 years ago |
| Headquarters | Lucknow, India |
| Area served | Uttar Pradesh |
| Key people | Shri Arvind Kumar Sharma, Ashish Kumar Goel (Chairman), Pankaj Kumar (Managing Director) |
| Services | Electricity Transmission & Distribution |
| Owner | Government of Uttar Pradesh |
| Subsidiaries | DVVNL MVVNL PVVNL PuVVNL KESCO |
| Website | uppcl.org |
Electricity Workers Threaten ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’
Electricity employees are strongly opposing the privatization move. The Vidyut Karmchari Joint Sangharsh Samiti, an umbrella body of electricity workers, has warned that they will launch a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ (Fill the Jail Movement) as soon as the tender is published. Workers are demanding that the bidding document be made public, saying that the entire process is being carried out without transparency.
Meanwhile, Awadhesh Kumar Verma, President of the State Electricity Consumer Council, has also raised objections. He claimed that the tender process is being hurriedly pushed through and that the management is planning to issue the tender by the second week of July.
₹5 Lakh Fee to Access Tender Terms Raises Questions
Another controversial point is that companies interested in bidding will reportedly have to pay ₹5 lakh just to view the tender conditions. This has raised concerns about fairness and transparency in the process.
Awadhesh Verma also submitted a proposal of public importance before the Electricity Regulatory Commission on Monday. The proposal alleges that large-scale corruption may occur in the name of privatization, with the involvement of private entities and officials.
Employee unions have also accused the power corporation of acting in haste and using “emergency-like powers” to push the tender without proper public scrutiny. They argue that the privatization plan should be debated openly, especially since it involves essential public infrastructure.
UPPCL Loss
UPPCL procures power from state government-owned power generators (Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam & Uttar Pradesh Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited), central government-owned power generators (NTPC Limited & THDC Ltd) and independent power producers – IPP (mostly private power companies) through power purchase agreement for lowest per unit cost of electricity.
The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has proposed an unprecedented average hike of nearly 30% in electricity tariffs across consumer categories for the year 2025-26. UPPCL has pegged the overall loss at ₹19,644 crore for FY 2025-26.
