J&K administration okays regularisation of 12K power department workers

Our Correspondents

Jammu/Srinagar, February 27

The J&K administration has given the go-ahead for regularisation of 12,000 daily wagers of the Power Development Department (PDD).

The government has asked the top officials of the PDD to draft the recruitment rules for appointment of daily wagers in Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited and Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited.

Cover all depts

The government should regularise the services of the daily wagers in all its departments in the UT. Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari, Apni Party Chief

Long struggle

The historic decision has come after a long struggle by the daily wagers of the department. Sachin Tickoo, Convener, JKPEECC

In the first phase of recruitment, around 12,000 daily wagers will be regularised.

Since 1994, over one lakh workers have been engaged by the successive governments in different departments. In 2017, the number of these temporary workers, which was thought to be nearly 60,000, was established by the PDP-BJP government to be 1,20,000 through Aadhaar-based biometric identification.

The then government laid out a road map for absorption and regularisation of these workers to ensure their sustainable livelihood. These daily wagers have been asking the government to regularise them as a one-time solution.

Sachin Tickoo, convener of Jammu Kashmir Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee (JKPEECC), said the historic decision had come after a long struggle.

Hailing the decision, Apni Party president Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari urged the government to regularise the daily wagers in all departments in the UT.

Meanwhile, over 21,000 daily wagers of the Jal Shakti Department have extended their 72-hour strike by another 48 hours. Supposed to end on Saturday, now the strike will be called off on Monday.

Deepak Gupta, president of the All J&K PHE, ITI-Trained and CP Workers’ Association, said the government was not thinking about the daily wagers of the Jal Shakti Department. “We may further extend the strike,” he added.

Workers of Jal Shakti department extend strike

• Over 21,000 daily wagers of the Jal Shakti Department have extended their 72-hour strike by another 48 hours, which will culminate on Monday.
• Accusing the government of ignoring them, the All J&K PHE, ITI-Trained and CP Workers’ Association has warned that the strike may be extended further.