Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Oct 15: The employees of Power Development Department (PDD) in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir today observed complete `pen down, tool down, lock- down’ strike against the unilateral move of the Government to operationalise the unbundling of the department,
One the call of PEECC, the employees voluntarily joined in the pen down, tool down call expressing resentment on the move of the Government to split the Government department into companies.
The `pen down’ along with `tool down’ affected the planned electrification works along with bill generation, distribution, redressal of consumer grievances in the revenue centers along with the hampering of the information transmission to higher authorities. The IT Centres of PDD along with the work in the Divisional offices also remained affected as employees refused to entertain the consumer grievances pertaining to the bills and abstained from any official work in offices. However, in order to avoid inconvenience to consumers, the rapid action teams for fault resolutions/maintain of supply were allowed to continue their assignments.
Later, members led by Jaipal Sharma, chairman PEECC and other senior trade unionists including Ajaz Kazmi, Sanjeev Bali, Kulbir Singh, Balbir Singh, Anil Slathia, Manjeet Singh, Tarun Gupta, Pawan Ganotra and HD Singh addressed the employees on the issue and shared the concerns that arise out of the proposed move of the Government.
The PEECC resolved that this pen down and with tools down shall continue till Thursday and on Thursday all employees shall assemble at PDD office Panama Chowk from where a big rally shall proceed from Panama Chowk PDD office to Divisioanl Commissioner office Jammu and similarly in Kashmir to Divisional Commissioner office Kashmir where after deliberations by the committee members with the Divisional Commissioner further course of action shall be decided as the Government has failed to re- constitute the committee and take all stakeholders into confidence before putting things to implementation.
The speakers appealed to the Governor, Satya Pal Malik to retain Power Development Department as a Government department and allow this large sector employment to grow further.
Meanwhile in Srinagar, J&K Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC) of Power Development Department (PDD) has started a three-day lockdown from today to press for their demands regarding the Government plan of unbundling the PDD.
The press statement issued by the JKPECC said that it noticed that the Government has hired a consultant to present a road map for the unbundling of Power Development Department into three Power Distribution Companies each for Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh.
“The hiring of the consultant implies that the Government is contemplating to affect the same before 31st October 2019 when Jammu and Kashmir is going to get converted into UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh,” it said.
“The Government has left employees with no option but to go on confrontational path accordingly the coordination committee has decided to go on a 3 day strike from 15 October 2019 to 17th October and further program will be announced on 17th October,” the JKPECC said.
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