PDD staff to protest over proposed privatisation of power distribution

Ahead of a scheduled meeting of the Chief Secretary to discuss the privatisation of power distribution in Jammu and Kashmir, a controversy has erupted, with employees and opposition leaders accusing the government of placing “public services into corporate hands.”

Employees of the Power Development Department (PDD) have threatened a protest on February 4, a day before the scheduled meeting with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo. A letter regarding the meeting, which went viral on social media, has added fuel to the fire, further stirring unrest among residents of the UT

The letter indicates that the Chief Secretary will convene a meeting on February 5 at 4 pm at Civil Secretariat Jammu. The agenda for the meeting includes discussions on the status of hydel projects, power tariff collection, power sector reforms, and the privatisation of power distribution, among other issues.

The Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC), an amalgamation of various associations, has expressed serious concerns over the government’s proposed plan. The committee has criticised the move as a “unilateral push for privatisation of power at distribution periphery, without taking the principal stakeholders, including PDD employees, on board.”

The JKPECC statement continued, “JKPECC questions the haste and secrecy surrounding the sensitive issue of privatisation, even when KPDCL has performed admirably in bringing down losses and increasing revenue, billing and collection efficiency. This privatisation misadventure is a clear violation of democratic and constitutional rights, as well as principles of natural justice, where a government employee is completely unaware of the challenges they may face in the future if privatisation moves forward, which could compromise their service rights.”

The committee has called for the intervention of the L-G and the CM to ensure that all sections of PDD employees are consulted and their concerns are heard before any proposal regarding privatisation is pursued. PDD employees will hold a full-day protest on February 4 against the proposal.

PDP legislator Waheed Para also condemned the move, saying, “A party that began with the promise of autonomy and ended up normalising it to mere municipalities is now, despite having an overwhelming mandate, set to privatise the distribution of our electricity, initiating the process of placing our most critical public service into corporate hands. They promised defiance, delivered surrender, and now planning to sell our survival.”