PDD employees strike: People seek resumption of services
Srinagar: People from different areas of Jammu and Kashmir are complaining that they are without electricity since last three days which has left water supply schemes dependent on the power supply defunct as well.
Over 20,000 power sector employees have boycotted work around midnight on Friday in support of their various demands, including shelving of a proposed joint venture between the Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited and the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.
The employees, from all unions and associations, from linemen to senior engineers, decided to go on indefinite strike after failure of talks with the government, and staged demonstrations in the twin capital cities besides in district headquarters on Sunday and there was no positive news of any negotiation between govt and employees on Monday as well, reports said.
Due to the non-availability of electricity and water supply, people in different areas of JK protested and demanded immediate restoration of the supplies at an earliest.
People are also complaining that amid Covid-19 pandemic, patients dependent on oxygen concentrators are also suffering in absence of electricity.
“Since peak winter season is on various patients suffering from COPD are on oxygen support and these machines run of electricity which has remained off for most of the ime, causing huge inconvenience to the patients as well as their attendants,” Khursheed Ahmad, a Srinagar resident said.
Notably, the divisional administration Jammu has requested the Army to assist the government in restoration of electricity after a dialogue with the agitating Power Development Department (PDD) employees reportedly failed to break ice.
“It is brought to your notice that due to a strike by Electricity Department personnel in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, essential services have been severely affected in the Jammu region. We would like to hereby requisition the Indian army to assist in restoration of said essential services by provisioning manpower to man critical electricity stations and water supply sources,” the letter by Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr Raghav Langer.
Divisional Commissioner later claimed that the decision of the government is progressive and government’s intent is to ensure 24X7 quality power supply in Jammu and Kashmir. “I ensure that the government is here to work with sincerity to protect public interests. As far as the concern of agitating employees union, it has been already clarified that none of the service conditions, the pay structures, the salaries and the pensionary benefits, would be altered to the disadvantage for any employee”.
Government on Sunday evening deployed specialized teams of Military Engineering Services (MES) on a number of power receiving stations across Jammu zone with both Army and Police have also been deployed on these stations to resist any kind of protest by the employees of Power Development Department of Jammu and Kashmir government.
Officials in Jammu said that over 90 percent of the power supply has been restored in Jammu division with the help of quick reaction teams of police and army.
“It’s a systematic transfer of assets which we are opposing. They are selling the assets of the transmission sector. They want to give 50% shareholding to the power grid which is against the interests of Jammu and Kashmir” PDD employees said
“It’s the issue of our existence. It’s the fight of the people we are fighting. We will be left with nothing if we lose the transmission sector. It’s the backbone of the power department” they said.
The spokesperson, Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees and Workers United Front, Umar Bhat, said that the protest is to defy government orders against the privatization, release of our salaries and regulations of daily wager PDD employees of the Power sector.
Umar said that the government is acting arrogantly.
“They have taken help of defence personnel to restore power supply so as to derail our confidence, but we will not bow down”, he added.
Jahangeer Ganaie
