The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) against the formation of JK Grid Company.
“AIPEF has sought the intervention of the PMO against the formation of JK Grid Company, a joint venture company (JVC) of JKTCL and PGCIL, till the democratic process of electing a new Government is completed as electricity is a concurrent subject,” AIPEF said in a statement.
AIPEF spokesperson V K Gupta in the statement said that AIPEF has written a letter to Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha with copies to PMO on Tuesday urging them not to take any decision now and leave this to the newly elected Government.
As electricity is a concurrent subject, the Ministry of Power/ home ministry’s decision to form JVC with the central Government, PGCIL, is against the constitution because the State Government has been bypassed, it stated.
As per reports, it is expected that the state Assembly elections will be held around May-June 2022, it also stated.
The All J&K Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee is vehemently opposing the move and has requested the government to put on hold the draft, it stated.
In case the move is not withdrawn, they have given a call of work boycott from December 18, it said.
Gupta said that at least more than half a dozen power engineer associations of various states have written to the lieutenant governor against any such move and have supported the boycott move of J&K employees and engineers.
These include Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
AIPEF has mentioned in its letter that every State Government of the country faces a problem of unemployment and in case transmission function is retained in the state government without any JV with PGCIL, the implication is that it will provide employment to the unemployed persons of J&K.