Protest Staged Outside MESCOM Headquarters Against Proposed Privatization To Tata Company

By Editor

Posted on June 16, 2026

114

Protest Staged Outside MESCOM Headquarters Against Proposed Privatization To Tata Company Mangaluru : A massive protest erupted outside the MESCOM main office in Bejai on Tuesday, as employees rallied against KERC's proposed move to hand over electricity distribution responsibilities to a private entity, specifically Tata Company. The demonstration saw active participation from a unified front of MESCOM officials, engineers, contract workers, and general staff, all strongly opposing the privatization of the public utility. Addressing the gathering, KPTCL Employees’ Unions Federation President K. Balaram highlighted that this protest is part of a phased state-wide awareness campaign, marked by 'Gate Meetings' being held across Karnataka to challenge the decision. Speaking at the event, Prashanth Pai, the Organizing Secretary of the MESCOM Engineers’ Association, warned that Tata Company has specifically eyed power distribution networks in major urban sectors. He cautioned that if the private firm takes over, new government recruitments will grind to a halt, leading to a stark disparity in service quality between urban and rural consumers. Furthermore, he emphasized that such a transition would severely destabilize and disrupt the entire existing operational framework of MESCOM. The protest saw strong solidarity from various leadership factions, with key addresses delivered by Federation Secretary Shivaram, Engineers' Association Vice President K. Krishna Rao, and Organizing Secretary B.S. Lohith. Other prominent speakers included Employees’ Union Vice President Shankara Prakash, Accountants’ Association Secretary Naveen Kumar, SC/ST Welfare Association Secretary Srinivasappa, and Diploma Engineers’ Association President Ramachandra. Numerous other organization officials, including Nitesh, Varadaraju, Girish, Pushparaj, Chaitanya Raghavendra, Shanmukhappashakir, Sudhakar, and Urban Pinto, were also present to back the cause. Following the demonstration, the protesting unions submitted a formal memorandum to MESCOM Managing Director K. Harish Kumar, outlining their grievances. Acknowledging their concerns, the MD assured the agitating employees that the workforce's strong opposition and resentment regarding the privatization move would be promptly communicated to the state government for further review.

Mangaluru : A massive protest erupted outside the MESCOM main office in Bejai on Tuesday, as employees rallied against KERC’s proposed move to hand over electricity distribution responsibilities to a private entity, specifically Tata Company. The demonstration saw active participation from a unified front of MESCOM officials, engineers, contract workers, and general staff, all strongly opposing the privatization of the public utility. Addressing the gathering, KPTCL Employees’ Unions Federation President K. Balaram highlighted that this protest is part of a phased state-wide awareness campaign, marked by ‘Gate Meetings’ being held across Karnataka to challenge the decision.

Speaking at the event, Prashanth Pai, the Organizing Secretary of the MESCOM Engineers’ Association, warned that Tata Company has specifically eyed power distribution networks in major urban sectors. He cautioned that if the private firm takes over, new government recruitments will grind to a halt, leading to a stark disparity in service quality between urban and rural consumers. Furthermore, he emphasized that such a transition would severely destabilize and disrupt the entire existing operational framework of MESCOM.

The protest saw strong solidarity from various leadership factions, with key addresses delivered by Federation Secretary Shivaram, Engineers’ Association Vice President K. Krishna Rao, and Organizing Secretary B.S. Lohith. Other prominent speakers included Employees’ Union Vice President Shankara Prakash, Accountants’ Association Secretary Naveen Kumar, SC/ST Welfare Association Secretary Srinivasappa, and Diploma Engineers’ Association President Ramachandra. Numerous other organization officials, including Nitesh, Varadaraju, Girish, Pushparaj, Chaitanya Raghavendra, Shanmukhappashakir, Sudhakar, and Urban Pinto, were also present to back the cause.

Following the demonstration, the protesting unions submitted a formal memorandum to MESCOM Managing Director K. Harish Kumar, outlining their grievances. Acknowledging their concerns, the MD assured the agitating employees that the workforce’s strong opposition and resentment regarding the privatization move would be promptly communicated to the state government for further review.