Indian Army to the rescue as power stations in Jammu are hit by staff strike
The situation erupted after 20,000 electricity department personnel went on strike against the merger of J&K Power Development Department into the Power Grid Corporation of India and the handing over of the assets to private companies.
FollowJammu: The Jammu administration has requested the India Army to assist in restoring the essential services by provisioning manpower to man critical electricity stations and water supply sources in the region.
The situation erupted after 20,000 electricity department personnel went on strike against the merger of J&K Power Development Department into the Power Grid Corporation of India and the handing over of the assets to private companies.
The letter dated December 19 undersigned Jammu Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Raghav Langer, was written to Indian Army’s GOCs of 9 Corps and 16 Corps.
Langer wrote to the Indian Army after the talks between government officials and electricity department employees association failed to break an ice.
Confirming about the receiving of letter, an Indian Army official said that the troops have been pressed to assist the civil administration in Nowshera sector. “For other parts of the region, the troops will be deployed tomorrow.”
The employees have staged protest from Friday midnight and ave decided not to go on work till the government accept their demands.
They want the reversal of government’s decision to privatise assets, regularisation of daily wages employees and the timely release of salaries.
Raising the issue, former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a tweet, “Arrived in Jammu where the neighbourhood has had no electricity since yesterday. The same story is repeated across J&K as the power department employees are on strike. The administration seems to have adopted a hands off approach & the people are being left to suffer.”
