1,500 take to streets against power privatisation in Thane

1500 residents of Mumbra-Kalwa-Kharegaon-Shil marched to the Thane district collector's office to protest against privatisation of power distribution in their area. “Speaking about [Maharashtra State Government Cabinet Minister] Eknath Shinde's assurance to withhold the contract awarded to Torrent, senior [Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)] leader Anand Paranjape said, ‘It was just a verbal assurance. There was no formal or written communication from the minister. Moreover, it was power minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule's decision to award the contract, not Shinde's. We cannot trust last-minute assurances.’” The NCP has compared the power distribution company, Torrent, to the “East India Company, which promises to give uninterrupted power supply, but will charge people heavily. The citizens will have to bear the brunt of all this.”