Why power employees are on strike in Jammu and Kashmir

Approximately 30-40 per cent of areas in the UT have been without power since Saturday morning. While the power employees are insisting on withdrawal of the privatisation move, the government has said this is inevitable in view of already-delayed unbundling of power sector reforms.

With no quick resolution to the crisis in sight, power outages seem likely to continue across the UT. The administration on Sunday requisitioned the help of the Army to help maintain critical electricity stations and water supplies.

Jammu, Dec 20: Over 20,000 employees, including linemen and engineers, of power transmission and distribution corporations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, are on indefinite strike since midnight on Friday to protest the privatisation of power assets and delay in payment of salaries.
Approximately 30-40 per cent of areas in the UT have been without power since Saturday morning. While the power employees are insisting on withdrawal of the privatisation move, the government has said this is inevitable in view of already-delayed unbundling of power sector reforms.

Reforms and protest
Power sector reforms were rolled out in the UT in 2019, with the formation of separate transmission and distribution corporations for the Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Existing employees of the J&K government’s power development department were moved to these corporations.

While the government promised there would be no change in the conditions of service, salaries, and other emoluments, employees complained of salaries being delayed. Last month, they received their salaries five days after Diwali.

On December 4, the government announced the privatisation of power assets through a joint venture of its transmission and part of distribution corporations with Power Grid Corporation of India. Restive employees opposed the decision — and issues such as regularisation of daily wage earners and working conditions of field staff, added to the anger over delayed salaries, triggered the strike.

Demands, response
The employees are seeking a return to the old system in which salaries came out of the budgetary grant to the department, instead of grants-in-aid to the corporations.

Earlier, wage bills prepared and passed by executive engineers were sent directly to the treasury; in the present system, the engineers send salary bills to the newly appointed Chief Accounts and Pay Officers (CAPOs), who are authorised to send salary bills to the treasury. Since each CAPO looks after several divisions, a delay in one division leads to salaries in all divisions getting delayed, the protesting employees say.

According to the government, the JV with Power Grid is unavoidable. However, it has promised to re-examine the concerns expressed by the employees, and to address them after taking all stakeholders into confidence. It has also promised to put in place a mechanism to ensure timely release of salaries.

Power and potential
J&K has potential to generate nearly 20,000 MW of power — including nearly 12,000 MW, over 3,000 MW, and 500 MW in the Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi basins respectively. Once the entire potential is exploited, the UT will have surplus power and can be an energy exporter.

Currently, however, only about 1,000 MW is generated by hydel power projects owned and operated by J&K Power Development Corporation, and nearly 2,200 MW by projects owned and operated by NHPC. But in winter, as water levels fall in the rivers, generation by J&KPDC and NHPC goes down to 100-150 MW and 200-250 MW respectively.

J&K’s power requirement is in the order of 2,400-2,500 MW, which rises to 2,600-2,700 MW during peak demand hours. Nearly 1,100 MW is allocated by the Ministry of Power, 1,200 MW is sourced from the Indian Energy Exchange, and 100 MW comes from other sources. Both peak and non-peak power consumption in J&K is higher this year than last year. (Courtesy: Indian Express)