People suffer as faults remain unattended in most parts of UT

Over 50% feeders turn non-functional, water supply hit; talks again fail

Gopal Sharma // Fayaz BukhariThousands of Power employees today launched a “work boycott” across Jammu and Kashmir to press for their four-point demands, including shelving 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 various district headquarters. The second round of talks with the Government representatives and the employees’ leaders again ended in deadlock this afternoon.
As the Power employees went on strike last midnight, due to overloading of the system and harsh winter conditions, over 50 % of the electricity feeders have turned non-functional. However, the senior PDD officers were trying to downplay the grim situation emerged across J&K UT. With the power failure the water supply has also been badly hit in many areas.
Official sources told Excelsior that there is total black out in Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region besides several sub divisions across J&K. While during the day, the power supply was functional in many areas but reports being received from various areas tonight indicated that there is blackout in nearly 50 % areas across J&K while the senior officials in the PDD claimed that about 75-80 % feeders were still functional.
In Jammu City, several areas like Janipur, Roopnagar, Chinore, Muthi, Bantalab, Durga Nagar, Paloura, Rehari, Resham Ghar Colony, Talab Tilloo, about half a dozen localities of Old Jammu City, parts of Satwari, Chatha, Trikuta Nagar and Gangyal have witnessed total blackout. Scores of electric transformers which have developed snags are not being repaired due to strike of the Power employees including daily rated workers.
Reports from Rajouri and Poonch said that power supply has failed in Budhal, Kotranka, Darhal, Thannamandi, Kalakote, Manjakote, besides Nowshera, Sunderbani and major parts of Rajouri town. The power supply was also snapped in Mendhar, Surankote, Balakote, Mandi and Bafliaz areas of Poonch late this evening.
While Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar areas have witnessed total black out, the power supply has also been snapped in many areas of Ramban including Gool and Banihal, besides Dudu, Latti, Basantgarh, Ramnagar and Pancheri areas of Udhampur. Similar, reports have been received from many parts of Reasi, Samba, Kathua and border belt of Jammu district.
Managing Director, JPDCL, Shivanant Tyal said that he along with Chief Engineer, Sachdeva visited Dharna site at Jammu and talked to the striking employees on behalf of Government. The Government has agreed to the two main demands of the employees including salary and joint venture issue. They are prepared to put decision of Dec 4 with regard to joint venture on hold. He said unbundling is the policy decision of the Government of India and they were not competent to take decision about it. This has also been implemented in several other states. The employees must understand it. The MD claimed that he was talking on behalf of Principal Secretary, Power Nitishwar Kumar.
Tyal said despite this, the employees are adamant and demanding issuance of order and assurances in black and white.
Chief Engineer PDD, AK Sachdeva when contacted claimed that about 90 % power supply is functional in Jammu City and over 75-80 % feeders across Jammu region are also working. However, he claimed that Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri districts are mainly effected. He hoped that issue will be resolved shortly after talks with the striking employees.
A spokesman of Power Employees and Engineers Joint Coordination Committee said they had presented a four-point formula to the Government but it failed to accept their demands, including a white paper on non-fulfilment of the recommendations of the unbundling report and the failure to create positions as mandated by the committee at Gazetted and Non-Gazetted levels, regularisation of daily wagers and regularisation of all Power Development Department engineers.
They also demanded delinking their salary from grant-in-aid and releasing a regular budget for all PDD employees on deputation to different Corporations and a white paper of service condition of PDD employees on deputation to the Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPL) and similarly situated employees deputed from the NHPC, the spokesperson said.
“The path of confrontation is being pushed by the Government, and unless it comes up with a concrete resolution of the issues, PDD employees shall be forced to proceed on work boycott,” another spokesperson of the PEECC said.
He said repairs and restoration work would not be undertaken at all unless the feeder is supplied to any hospital. The work boycott will stand unless the Government gives a written assurance accepting their demands, he added.
He further said that MD was not competent to take decision with regard to the demands. He said Principal Secretary Power and Commissioner / Secretary Finance should intervene and take decision about their fate. He said today again MD and Chief Engineer visited dharna site and talked to them but no firm/ written assurance was given to them.
Reports from Srinagar said that parts of Kashmir have also plunged into darkness today due to strike by the Power Development Department (PDD) employees against privatization of the power sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
People in several areas of Kashmir are facing hardships due to strike as there is no electricity when the temperatures are sub-zero.
The receiving stations across Kashmir are functioning normally and the electricity is being supplied as per the schedule to them. However, sudden faults, in many areas are not being rectified due to the absence of men on the ground.
There are areas where the power supply has not been restored as the faults remain unaddressed. In Anantnag, the power supply is affected in areas such as Muniwar, Danter, Bangidar, Malpora, Pushwara, Harnag Larnoo, Kokarnag and Damhal.
The power supply is also affected in parts of Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara.
The PDD employees today protested in Srinagar against the privatization and salary issue. They were raising slogans against the government decision.
The spokesperson, Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees and Workers United Front, Umar Bhat, said here that the protest is against the privatization of the Power sector.
“The protests that were taking place since 2019, have now shaped up into a full-fledged movement. There is a need for halting the process of privatization of the PDD which is the backbone of J&K and restoring its departmental glory without any delay”, he said.
Umar said that the they will continue their protest against the privatisation. “The workers of the PDD have been making efforts to resent the move of privatization since 2019. We will continue the struggle and protest until the privatization is rolled back”, he said.
In Bhaderwah the Power sector employees including engineers held a protest today against privatization of power distribution and transmission system. On the call of Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee, the employees of Bhaderwah organised protest demonstrations at JKPDCL’s Sub Divisional office under the chairmanship of AEE KC Raina.
While raising slogans against privatization, the employees said that the Government is hell-bent on creating private monopolies in the power sector by putting the future of employees on stake. The employees demanded to withdraw the process of privatization of electricity from the public sector to a private company and cancel all existing privatization and franchises in the power sector. They said they are not against reforms in power sector but stand should be cleared by the Government on the future of employees. Similar protests were held at various districts and sub divisional headquarters.

JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Dec 18: Amidst sufferings of the general public during these harsh winters, there is total blackout in several J&K districts as the Power employees have gone on indefinite strike.By