Jammu: As (Power Development Department) PDD’s Twenty-thousand employees are protesting against the government move to merge J&K Power Development Department into the Power Grid Corporation of India, the Indian army has been called in to help the state-run power firms to restore electricity on Sunday.
For now, power has been restored in some areas after the Jammu and Kashmir administration run directly by New Delhi wrote to the Defence Ministry.
The employees have been on strike from Friday midnight. They have decided not to carry out any repair and maintenance work until the government accepts their demands.
The employees want a reversal of government decision to privatise assets, regularisation of daily wage power employees, and the release of salaries.
Shailendra Dubey Chairman AIPEF reached Jammu on Saturday to support the All Power Employees and Engineers’ coordination committee and said that instead of coming out with a resolution of the issues, the government has cited termination and dismissal, without any reasons.
Moreover, National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE ) held an emergency online meeting on Sunday and it has been decided that demonstrations will be held across the country from December 20 to 22 to support J&K’s power sector employees.
The memorandum will be mailed to the lieutenant governor with a copy to the home minister and the Union power minister by all the constituents on December 20.
Officials said negotiations were held with striking employees but failed to break the ice.
The employees said the assets built over decades by successive governments in J&K are now up for sale under Union territory administration.
In Srinagar, it’s minus 6 degrees and several other parts of Kashmir are much colder.
