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| Army assists as power strike cripples J&K | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 20: The Army was called out as a strike by nearly 20,000 employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department continued an indefinite strike for the third day on Monday, plunging the entire Union Territory into an unprecedented state of darkness. Numerous households and businesses across the region hurried to light up their establishments with candles and kerosene lamps even as the strikers remained defiant despite repeated appeals by the authorities to call off the crippling protest.
The strike affected normal life across the Union Territory as many areas witnessed a near total blackout. "For three days there is no electricity in our locality. The inverter batteries have also died," moaned Raj Kumar, a resident of Krishna Nagar in Jammu. Bhupinder Singh of Nanak Nagar said it seemed as if Jammu had returned to stone age.
"There is no electricity from Saturday night. Inverters are not working. If power is not restored soon, life will come to standstill. Without electricity, routine life is affected," he said. Grocery store owner Rakesh Mahajan said customers' main demand now was for candles. "In three days, we have sold around 50 packets. This unexpected." Many residents refilled their mini gas cylinders to meet the power crisis.
On Sunday, the Jammu and Kashmir government pressed the Army's engineering wing into service to try to restore power supply as stalemate continued over talks between the government and the protesting employees.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Dr Raghav Langer said that the salary structure and pension benefits of the employees will not be affected.
A senior official said that out of 1,100 MW, only 600 MW electricity was being supplied because 45 percent of the systems were down. "We have taken the help of other agencies and the engineering wing of the Army to restore electricity snapped in many areas."
The government has requested the striking employees to return to work.
"The government is taking a sympathetic view of the issues and has engaged in several round of talks with the Coordination Committee of the employees," an official spokesman said.
He said that in the wake of Covid-19 and nail-biting cold, the employees have been urged to end the strike.
He said the government had agreed on two major demands - putting on hold the proposal for formation of a JV and ensuring that delays in salary is immediately resolved.The employees, however, alleged that the government has failed to address their issues.
The protestors have told the administration to consider the demands sympathetically for early restoration of the electricity.
The employees have refused to resume work and repair faulty unless their demands are met.
Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC) Chairman Jaipal Sharma said all the unions and associations are on indefinite strike as several round of talks with the government have failed.
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