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| HC takes suo-moto notice of acute water crisis caused by PHE employees' strike | | Summons Div Com, PHE CE; employees suspend strike as pressure mounts on them from all quarters | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 3: As Jammu and its suburbs reeled under acute potable water scarcity for the 3rd day today due to the strike by 23,000 odd PHE casual and consolidated workers, high court here took a serious note of the crisis after going through the reports published in this regard in the local newspapers.
Though the employees have suspended strike for a week only, this has given much needed relief to the water starved Jammuites.
The taps had run dry as there was no water supply to people for the last three days. Nearly 16,000 casual and consolidated PHE employees are on strike in Jammu division and 7,000 in Kashmir. When the permanent employees made attempts in certain Jammu areas to restore the water supply, the striking employees did not allow them and also threatened them of dire consequences. At some places, they also broke electricity panels and caused damaged to water pipes.
They are demanding regularisation of the services of those daily wagers who have completed seven years of service in the department and immediate release of their wages. They decided to go on strike three days back after the state administration miserably failed to convince them. This is being seen as a failure of the Omar-led government.
The talks between them and the government to end the impasse had failed yesterday. Today, taking a suomoto notice of the problems being faced by people on account of drinking water shortage due to the employees' strike, a high court division bench of Justice Virender Singh and Justice TashiRabstan directed divisional commissioner, Jammu, and PHE chief engineer to restore water supply. In majority houses, people did not have water even to wash their hands.
The court took cognizance of the news items published in this regard in the today's newspapers and treated them as suomoto PIL. It issued notice to the divisional commissioner, Jammu, and the PHE chief engineer. Senior advocates - M K Bhardwaj, K S Johal, A V Gupta, U K Jalali and SurinderKour -- appeared for the PIL and stated that because of the ongoing strike of PHE workers, which had been further extended for 72 hours, the water supply was completely stopped and for the last three days, residents of Jammu region were facing great hardships as they had been left with no drinking water.
They submitted that strike, which could be settled by the state, should not affect the public at large.
"With regard to the ongoing strike, which has now been extended for another 72 hours, the bench takes cognizance of all what has been stated before us by the senior advocates. It espouses a public cause and is treated as PIL. Registry is directed to diarize it accordingly," the court ordered.
The division bench issued notice to the divisional commissioner, Jammu, and PHE chief engineer and ordered to take up the matter in the second half of the day itself.
Additional Advocate General H ASiddiqui accepted the notices. When the matter was again taken up in the second half, divisional commissioner Shantmanu and PHE chief engineer SushilAima were present in the court.
Shantmanu stated that he had taken stock of the entire situation with regard to scarcity of water in Jammu province, especially in Jammu city.
He stated that he had deliberated upon this issue with the PHE chief engineer and other officials also.
Shantmanu said the striking PHE employees had also damaged certain electric panels and removed certain fuses besides damaging certain valves. According to him, the regular employees of PHE were repairing all the damaged items since yesterday and in some of the areas, this exercise was over and water supply to the extent of 60/70 per cent was restored. These areas fall across Tawi.
He stated that in some of the areas falling in the other part of Jammu Province which is known as old city and areas adjoining it, the water supply was not restored to that extent and he had been informed by the chief engineer that perhaps by today evening, water supply to almost all the areas of Jammu Province was likely to be restored.
The Divisional Commissioner stated that to overcome the crisis arising out of the non-supply of drinking water, services of Jammu Municipal Corporation, Police Department, Fire Services Department and even private tanker operators had been requisitioned so that water supply through portable water tankers wherever possible was provided to the residents/consumers free of cost. He, however, stated that he may be given just one day's time to submit a comprehensive report in this regard. The bench appreciated the efforts made by Shantmanu but at the same time emphasised that the government should mobilize all the resources at its command to defuse the present crisis without any waste of time and directed Registry to list the PIL tomorrow. The Divisional Commissioner's personal appearance in the court was also exempted for tomorrow. Meanwhile, the striking employees, who were having talks with the representatives of the state administration, also knew about the developments in the court. The pressure of the general public was also mounting on them as there were protests and road blockades by them across the division.
Locals, who carried empty utensils and buckets, also held demonstrations at PHE water pumping stations and demanded strict action against the striking PHE workers who were not allowing the permanent employees to discharge their duties of restoring water supply.
Following so much of public pressure on them and the government assurance to concede their genuine demands, the employees suspended their strike. It is learnt that PHE minister Sham Lal Sharma has given an assurance to the PHE leaders that he would take up their long pending demands with the state government for their immediate redressal. |
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