MULTAN City News

Proposed privatisation of Wapda
Employees observe strike, stage demos in Punjab cities
From Our Correspondents
MULTAN: On the call of the Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union, the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) employees observed a complete strike against proposed privatization of the Wapda here on Thursday.
The protesters led by WHEWU regional chairman Ghulam Rasool, secretary general Malik Saeed and the Mepco officials staged a demonstration in front of the Mepco Headquarters. They threatened to suspend the power supply across the country if their demand was not accepted. They said that the protest was taking place in the entire Multan Electric Power Company region and all the employees except the emergency staff were taking part in the protest.
They demanded that the government should end loadshedding and reduce power rates. The protesters said that the government had planned the Wapda privatisation under pressure from the World Bank and the IMF. They said that sacking of daily-wager and contract staffers, which would not be tolerated at any cost. They said that the government had badly failed to overcome price-hike, increasing unemployment and worsening law and order across the country.
The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the proposed privatization. They chanted slogans in favour of their demands. They said the government had again become active to favour favourites in the garb of the privatization policy. Regional secretary general Saeed Malik said the proposed privatization plan was a conspiracy against workers, depriving them of livelihood.
They also passed a resolution, urging the government to allocate sufficient resources to build new hydel and thermal powerhouses in the public sector. They demanded the government make energy theft a cognizable offence and establish special courts to punish the power thieves. “The government may privatise the Wapda on our bodies. All the

workers are united against the proposed privatization plan,” they said. Speaking on the occasion, Ghulam Rasool said the workers were ready to sacrifice to protect the department. He said the company’s recovery was 100 per cent. He said that the government was hell-bent on privatising the Wapda, but the workers would not allow the government to materialise its plan. He said the Mepco had assets worth trillions of rupees. “The rulers want to hand over the company to their blue-eyed people at low cost.” He urged the government to withdraw the decision.
JARANWALA: The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) employees took out a rally against the proposed privatisation of the company here on Thursday.
They locked all offices to register their protest. Later, they took out a rally and marched through different roads. The protesting employees were chanting slogans against the privatisation of Fesco. Addressing the rally at Cinema Chowk, Wapda Hydroelectric Union divisional chairman Mian Farooq and general secretary Chaudhry Amjad Gujjar said that they would not allow the privatisation of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company. They said that they would also not hesitate from any sacrifice to protect interests of the Fesco employees.
The staffers locked the XEN Office, Faisalabad Road Office, City Subdivision Office, Revenue Office, Lahore Road Office, Sarwar Shaheed Subdivision Office, Satiana Subdivision Office and Khanowana Subdivision Office. Meanwhile the people face several problems due to the strike of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company employees.
NANKANA SAHIB: Wapda employees observed complete strike against privatisation of Wapda here on Thursday.
The Wapda employees also took out a rally. Meanwhile, All Pakistan Hydroelectric Union district chairman Shahbaz Ahmad said that they would not allow privatisation of Wapda.
BAHAWALPUR: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union (CBA) observed complete strike and staged a demonstration against the proposed privatisation of the power distribution companies.
The protesting workers led by All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union (CBA) zonal chairman Fayyaz Khan Baloch and divisional chairman Muhammad Shafi Saleem also took out a rally. They were chanting slogans against the government. They were also carrying placards and banners.
All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union zonal secretary Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi, Babar Shahzad, Jafar Iqbal, Rana Kamran Iqbal, Tahir Khan, Malik Asghar, Sh Mehmood Ahmad, Abdul Razzaq and Tariq Khan from Yazman and Muhammad Asghar from Lodhran addressed the rally.