Regularisation of daily wagers in JPDCL, KPDCL set in motion
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Jan 19: The Government has set in motion the process for framing of recruitment rules and norms for nearly 3000 employees working in Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) and the same will be completed by February -March this year.
According to official sources, the long wait for the thousands of employees will be over as the rules for much talked about JKSPDC which was constituted way back in the year 1989 and registered in the year 1995 will be ready by the month of February or March this year. The Government is fully on the job in this regard, sources added.
Besides, the formation of the rules the process for regularisation of employees in Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (KPDCL) and Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) is also on cards and the Executive Engineers of KPDCL and JPDCL have been issued directives by the higher ups to furnish the seniority lists of the daily wagers without further delay for their regularisation.
Sources said Managing Director, PDCL Jammu, Shiv Anant Tayal has constituted a Committee comprising of Sandeep Seth, Chief Engineer JPDCL and Pawan Kumar, FA/CAO of JPDCL to ascertain the facts and genuineness of documents of the officials for their regularisation.
Taking further action in the matter, the Chief Engineers of JPDCL and KPDCL have sought the seniority lists from the respective Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers in this regard so that the DPC for the regularisation of the daily wagers is conducted, sources said.
Sources said, the officers have even taken serious exception for delaying the submission of seniority lists of the daily wagers by respective Executive Engineers of the organisation despite repeated reminders thus hampering the regularisation process and triggering protests from employees. The Executive Engineers have been issued directives to furnish the seniority lists without further delay by higher-ups, sources added.
Sources while referring a letter of Superintending Engineer, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (KPDCL) Pulwama in this regard said the SE has asked his subordinate engineers to submit the seniority list of the PDL /TDL workers without further delay so that the seniority of these officials is framed by his office.
The SE has also taken serious exception to his repeated letters sent to the concerned Executive Engineers earlier which has hampered his office in framing the seniority lists and forcing the employees to come to streets who have even warned to go on strike from January 20.
Though established way back in1989 through a Cabinet Order, the rules and frame norms for J&K State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) were not framed till date with the result the fate of about 3000 employees working in the Corporation is hanging in balance.
As per sources, the then State Government through its Order Number 49, PDD dated 7-3-1989 established JKSPDC and it was registered in the year 1995 but the Government did not frame rules and norms till date putting the future of thousands of its employees to jeopardy. Not knowing whether they are existing in the establishment of Power Development Department (PDD) or JKSPDC, the employees working in the Corporation are facing total uncertainty for last 33 years since the formation of Corporation, sources added.
Sources said 553 employees of the Corporation who retired since 2012 are without pensionary and other benefits and their fate is totally hanging in balance as neither PDD nor Corporation is ready to accept them as their employees. Their files are rotating on the tables between Finance Department and PDD but the concerned authorities have failed to take any concrete steps in settling the issue, sources added.
Sources said, the representatives of various associations of PDD took up the issue with higher ups in Government umpteen times but to no avail. The employees working in Corporation are stagnated at one post as they have been deprived of promotion benefits too, sources added.
The employees working both in PDD and PDC are facing umpteen problems due to callousness of authorities at the helm of affairs, sources said. In PDD under SRO 381 the daily wagers are promoted against the vacant posts of Class Fourth employees from time to time after the class fourth employees are promoted to higher posts through DPC. This SRO is only applicable in PDD but to the dismay of thousands of employees working in the Department the DPC of Class Fourth employees was not conducted for a pretty long time with the result the regularisation of daily wagers also could not take place.
Sources said that the DPC has neither been conducted by Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (KPCDL) nor Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) with the result the employees as well as daily wagers are suffering for no fault of theirs.
Sources said that the chief engineers and Executive Engineers in JKPDCL are also powerless and they are unable to take decisions on spot with the result the Government work in the Corporation has suffered a lot.
Sources said that the situation in the organisation has deteriorated to such an extent that if a daily wager gets electrocuted while on duty he is not being compensated or given the benefit of SRO 43. The organisation disowns him and the families are forced to knock the doors of the Labour Court for justice. There are many such cases in the UT but the authorities have failed to take cognisance of the same and their dependents are running from pillar to post for justice, sources added.
Sources said the Government should fix accountability at officers level that why the framing of rules have been delayed for 33 long years and why the employees have been deliberately made to suffer for over three decades, sources added.
Sources said DPCs have not been conducted since 2019 in Kashmir division and same is the case in Jammu region.
Few days back in Pulwama district, a massive protest was held by the Power employees for delay in the regularisation of employees who have warned to boycott the work from January 20 in case their seniority lists were not framed forcing
When contacted Managing Director, JKPDC, Raja Yaqoob said that the Government is on the job and rules for Corporation will be ready by February -March this year.
Chief Engineer PDCL Kashmir, Javed Yousf Dar and CE, PDCL Jammu Sandeep Seth said that they have sought the seniority lists from subordinate offices as the lists submitted earlier had some discrepancies and now they have sought the fresh seniority lists. The DPC will be held soon after ascertaining the genuiness of these seniority lists, they added.
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