Jammu Kashmir electricity employees call of strike following govt assurance

Power Development Department in Jammu and Kashmir called off their strike on Tuesday after getting a written assurance from the administration. Nearly 20,000 employees were on indefinite strike for the last three days over their service issues and privatisation of the transmission system of electricity in the UT.

Srinagar (J&K): The protesting employees of the Power Development Department (PDD) in Jammu and Kashmir have called off their strike from on Tuesday, after getting a written assurance from the administration.

Nearly 20,000 employees were on indefinite strike for the last three days over their service issues and privatisation of the transmission system of electricity in the UT.

The administration has given us written assurance that the proposed merger of PDD with Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI) has been put on hold. Following which we called off the strike and will resume our duties, Munshi Majid Ali, convenor of PDD employee's association, told ETV Bharat on phone.

A committee comprising all stakeholders, including representatives of the power employees, will make recommendations on the way forward including the issue of delay of wages, regularisation of the ad-hoc employees and other pay anomalies of the power staffers.

Munshi Majid Ali further said, "During the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday a team led by Divisional commissioner Jammu Raghav Langar and ADGP Mukesh Singh held talks with our general secretary S Tickoo and gave them a written assurance. They agreed to put on hold the merger of the Power Development Department (PDD) with PGCI and set up a committee to take a relook." We have also received assurances on other issues, including salaries, from the administration, he added.

On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had said 60 per cent of electricity in the Union Territory was restored and the administration will achieve 100 per cent restoration by Tuesday.

A complete mismanagment, alleges PDP general secretary

"It was complete mismanagement and failure of the administration to aggravate the crises. Employees should have been heard to end the crises but the administration failed to do so, and put people into immense sufferings in the last few days," PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone told ETV Bharat.

National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi said that it may be the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that the army was called in for a civilian matter. "Our party is not against reforms in streamlining the power system, but the issue of employees must have been amicably addressed but the administration failed to do so and instead accentuated the crises thus the political and electoral government are much needed in Jammu and Kashmir," Nabi told ETV Bharat.

The UT has been facing a widespread power shutdown since Sunday owing to a deadlock between PDD employees and the administration over the latter's bid to privatise electricity in the region.