PROTESTING against the steep hike of electricity tariff in Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, Left Front workers organised sit-in-demonstrations in front of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Ltd. (CESC) headquarters, in Kolkata and West Bengal State Electricity Board head office, Vidyut Bhawan at Salt Lake on September 9. The sit-in continued for 24 hours.

West Bengal has seen unprecedented hike in power tariff in the last four years of the TMC rule. Though power tariff is finally determined by electricity commission, the state government has repeatedly authorised state electricity boards to appeal for hike. It has also allowed CESC, a private company owned by RP Goenka group, to increase electricity charges through various ways. The result has been disastrous for common people. West Bengal has now earned the dubious distinction of having highest power charges in the country, widely surpassing the national average as well as state charges. TMC government has also stopped the cross subsidy for low income subscribers as was the practice during the Left Front government. The state government has also violated the national direction for the BPL families and electricity charges for them have also reached to abnormally high proportions.

After a long and sustained campaign among the people which included a signature campaign in Kolkata, the Left Front has decided to seize the headquarters of both the CESC and the state board. Left Front, Kolkata organised the sit-in at the CESC office.

In the inaugural public meeting in front of the CESC office, Left Front chairman Biman Basu declared categorically that this movement would continue until the tariff  is reduced. He called upon the people to unitedly come to streets to protest the anti-people policies of the TMC government. Sujan Chakraborty, convenor of South 24 Parganas district Left Front questioned the motive of the state administration in promoting the profit of a private company. Mayor of Siliguri Corporation, Ashok Bhattacharya accused both the central and the state government for squeezing the people.

Shyamal Chakraborty, CITU state president, while addressing the sit-in at SEB office, pointed to neo liberal attacks on people. He said, along with the burden in the state, the Electricity Bill , 2014 would be a dangerous drive towards privatisation. CPI(M) leader Gautam Deb declared that the struggle would continue to force the state administration to reduce the charges.

At the time of filing this report, the sit-in is continuing and a bigger mobilisation will take place on the second day.