PDD staff to protest over proposed privatisation of power distribution
Jammu: Employees of the Power Development Department (PDD) in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have threatened a protest tomorrow against the privatisation of power distribution.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a letter regarding the meeting with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, which went viral on social media, has added fuel to the fire, further stirring unrest among residents of the territory.
The letter indicates that the Chief Secretary will convene a meeting on February 5 at the Civil Secretariat in 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 said, “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.”
