Army, BSF engineers join Powergrid employees restore electricity in Jammu region

Jammu, Dec 20: People on Monday evening heaved a sigh of relief after the electricity crisis was settled with Army and BSF assisting powergrid employees toiling hard to partially restore the power in parts of Jammu region.

The power remained affected in Jammu and Kashmir from Friday midnight, when around 20,000 employees of Power Development Department went on an indefinite strike, appealing to the administration to consider their demands sympathetically for early restoration of the electricity.
J&K faced a severe power crisis as thousands of employees of the Power Development Department (PDD) have gone on an indefinite strike to protest the privatization of the department.
“Army and BSF engineers along with powergrid employees have succeeded in restoring power supply in many parts of Jammu region,” anm administrative official said.
He said that efforts were on to restore the remaining power supply.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also on Monday said that by tomorrow 100 per cent power would be restored across the Union Territory.
The Lt Governor asserted that the well being of each and every citizen is the top priority for the government.
“I want to tell 1.25 crore citizens of Jammu and Kashmir that I understand your pain caused by the disruption in electricity supply due to strike by the power department employees. The well-being of each and every citizen is our top priority,” Sinha said on the sidelines of a function in Jammu.
“In many parts the faults have been repaired but wherever it was impossible to repair the snag, generators were pressed in to restore the power supply,” said an official.
“Army took over all the grid stations while the powergrid employees were engaged in the restoration work,” he said, adding that the electricity has been restored in many areas.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr Raghav Langar on Sunday had entrusted the responsibility of restoration of electricity to the army.
The Army was called out as a strike by nearly 20,000 employees of the Power Development Department continued an indefinite strike for the third day on Monday, plunging the entire Union Territory into an unprecedented state of darkness.
Numerous households and businesses across the region hurried to light up their establishments with candles and kerosene lamps even as the strikers remained defiant despite repeated appeals by the authorities to call off the crippling protest.
The strike affected normal life across the Union Territory as many areas witnessed a near total blackout.
“For three days there is no electricity in our locality. The inverter batteries have also died,” moaned Raj Kumar, a resident of Krishna Nagar in Jammu.
Bhupinder Singh of Nanak Nagar said it seemed as if Jammu had returned to stone-age.
“There is no electricity from Saturday night. Inverters are not working. If power is not restored soon, life will come to standstill. Without electricity, routine life is affected,” he said.
Grocery store owner Rakesh Mahajan said customers’ main demand now was for candles. “In three days, we have sold around 50 packets. This is unexpected.”
Many residents refilled their mini gas cylinders to meet the power crisis.
Dr Raghav Langer had said that the salary structure and pension benefits of the employees will not be affected.
A senior official said that out of 1,100 MW, only 600 MW electricity was being supplied because 45 percent of the systems were down. “We have taken the help of other agencies and the engineering wing of the Army to restore electricity snapped in many areas.”
The government has requested the striking employees to return to work.
“The government is taking a sympathetic view of the issues and has engaged in several rounds of talks with the Coordination Committee of the employees,” an official spokesman said.
He said that in the wake of Covid-19 and nail-biting cold, the employees have been urged to end the strike.
He said the government had agreed on two major demands – putting on hold the proposal for formation of a JV and ensuring that delays in salary is immediately resolved.The employees, however, alleged that the government has failed to address their issues.
Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC) Chairman Jaipal Sharma said all the unions and associations are on indefinite strike as several rounds of talks with the government have failed.
Flanked by Committee Convenor Sachin Tickoo, he said the intent of the government is not serious in addressing issues including scrapping of a Joint Venture of JKPTCL and PGCIL, delinking salary of employees on deputation to PDD corporations and routing through treasury directly.

UNI VBH RJ