We are generally accustomed of learning about many steps being taken to bring in a new life in the functioning of one of the most important departments-the Power Development Department (PDD), its re-organisation, privatisation of or proposed outsourcing of its certain vital functions, bringing in many reforms in it and the like – all with the aim of improving the power infrastructure and consequent better and ”undisrupted” power distribution in Jammu and Kashmir . We tend to believe in such steps proposed to be taken or a few of them already having been taken or majority of them believed to be under different layers of the process of being implemented . The re-organisation process or the reformist or innovating process , perhaps, seems to have been oblivious of the most important aspect of an organisation – the Human Resources area. How much on need oriented basis, staff especially technical and of supervisory and executive levels, was required to run the department smoothly and how to replenish the posts which fell vacant due to various reasons mainly on account of superannuation of employees etc, seems to be on the least priority of this department.
In this connection, just leave things apart in respect of how as many as 13 Divisions and 103 Sub-Divisions had no top authority to man or how many posts of Chief Engineers , Executive Directors, Superintending Engineers , Circle Superintending Engineers and the like were lying ”vacant” , could it be explained as to for how many colonies, areas and mohellas comprising hundreds of consumers of power – domestic, commercial, institutional etc, just had one lineman to take care of . Even where for immediate help in case of a fallen service line or the main line from the post , where in such an emergency , one had to go and whom to approach is wrapped in utter mystery . This is the status of the grass root or the main ground level delivery mechanism of the services of this department. Ad-hoc measures, patch work repairs like short term steps taken and dragging somehow like scenario is , in fact, replete in this department, perhaps, projected as being difficult to be avoided . It is, in principle, agreed that due to ever increasing demand of power, steps towards mass electrification and overall changes in requirements and patterns, the department needs several corporations, wings , separate branches and other bifurcations for better management and service delivery as one single department cannot take care of multifarious activities related to power generation, distribution, revenue collection, field inspections and supervisions , repairs , renovation and maintenance of vital and vast infrastructure and last but not least, the important area of personnel management .
Reviewing of the status of manpower at regular intervals and making arrangements beforehand does not appear to have visited this department or if it is done in some manner, at the highest levels of the administration , there was little favourable response. We do not rule out occasional need of an official like an AEE or even a rank or two higher than that, manning more than one assignment in the department as a contingency but can that be made a precedent or a quasi permanent arrangement to spread only under-performance and consequently defective or flawed delivery of service to the general consumers ?
May we reiterate that the top administration related to the Power Department must not feel shy of talking to employees unions and get a feedback of where ”their shoes” pinch to devise corrective measures and an assurance about that to obfuscate and pre-empt the situation like the one which took place last year which resulted in tremendous hardships to the general public for days together. The aim of the PDD should be ensuring 24×7 regular quality supply of power to the people of Jammu and Kashmir , no doubt realise full cost thereof and in time and towards that, any sort of reforms must be introduced while vacant posts in the Department must be filled in a time bound manner even an overall general assessment and audit made about the staff requirement justifying it and performance levels established or else the claims of reforms will be termed as a ruse and as such the department feared instead to be regressing.
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