Several areas of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed electricity outages as power employees begin their indefinite strike on Saturday against the government’s privatisation move.Talking to Greater Kashmir, Convenor, Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee, Munshi Majid Ali said that from lineman to engineer, all employees of power department are on strike against the privatisation move of the government.

“ We have called for an indefinite strike after the government failed to address our issues,” he said adding that Power Employees and Engineers resent Joint Venture of JKPTCL and PGCIL.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Convenor, Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee, Munshi Majid Ali said that from lineman to engineer, all employees of power department are on strike against the privatisation move of the government.

“ We have called for an indefinite strike after the government failed to address our issues,” he said adding that Power Employees and Engineers resent Joint Venture of JKPTCL and PGCIL.

As per the officials, many parts of Srinagar faced prolonged power cuts due to the strike called by the employees as they refused to carry out repair works or rectify technical snags in the system, similar reports came out from the Jammu division where many areas faced blackout.

He said that the strike call was given after the coordination committee thoroughly discussed the burning issue of the formation of JV between JKPTCL and PGCIL for maintenance and development of Transmission and sub-transmission network“Employees are aghast at this unilateral decision made by the UT government which is nothing but a step towards privatization of the already unbundled corporation. The members termed the inclusion of 33 KV network within the ambit of JKPTCL as unreasonable and illogical and a brazen violation of Electricity Act 2003.”“Furthermore the employees have a long-standing trust deficit with the government of J&K which at the time of unbundling befooled the employee associations promising various employee-friendly measures like regularisation of engineers working in In-charge capacity, creation of posts at various levels including engineering and non-engineering cadres. DPCs of Non-Gazetted employees. Regularization of PDLsTDLs, and Provision of budgetary support for Salaries of employees as mandated by SO 109 etc.. which arc yet to see daylight.”