Jammu, Sept 4: The employees of Power development department Transmission line Maintenance division Udhampur along with employee unions of PDD led by ,Er. Sachin Tickoo, Convenor Forum of Engineers, Er.Jaipal Sharma, DEA, Ajaz Kazmi,Gen secty PPEU,Sanjeev Bali,President PPEU, Sh.Jasbir Singh,President ITI Employees association, Sh.Tarun Gupta ,Sh.Anil Slathia, today met Advisor BB Vyas here at Convention center Jammu and expressed strong resentment over the lacklustre approach of the Power Development department in addressing this serious issue of Non Drawal of salary for all categories of employees of TLMD-Udhampur since last four months.They urged the Advisor to kindly intervene and give immediate instructions for strong pleading in the Hon’ble court for getting the salary head detached. It is pertinent to mention here that due to dispute between the Contractor M/S KEC and Power development department, the poor employees have had to suffer because salaries couldn’t be disbursed as the Hon’ble court has attached the CD-Account of the Executive Engineer in a case titled M/S KEC vs PDD. In this particular case the Hon’ble court had awarded interim relief to the M/s KEC ,but the department having failed to fulfil the conditions set by the Hon’ble court has put the employees to utter starvation. Employees expressed sheer dismay over the poor response of the department to sort out the matter and take appropriate measures to get the salary head opened by pleading amicably in the court through Senior Counsels. The department has not been able to overcome the bottle necks involved and once the department was aware that the CD-Account has once been attached by the Hon’ble court in October 2017, and reopened after various hearings in month of December 2017.It should not have taken lightly the matter thereby putting the whole system and livelihood of the Engineers at Risk. At this stage the CD Account of the Division is now attached to the extent of the awarded interim relief amount in favour of the petitioner. Accordingly since the awarded amount has not been released by the administrative department, therefore the salary has also been stopped from this account held with JK Bank Branch Udhampur.
The employees appealed to the government to take appropriate measures sensing the gravity of the situation as nearly 250- regular employees and many need based and daily wagers are also without salary/wages from months together. The families of these employees have reached to the point of starvation as they are failing to make both ends meet and also attend to their duties. The staff of the TLMD Udhampur Divsion has been performing tirelessly without fail in this area which has Jurisdiction going right Udhampur,Doda,Kishtawar one one side and Batote,Ramban,Banihal on other side and meeting all exigencies as involved with Essential service PDD.The employees have maintained the assets of their division and their upkeep during the trurbulent time of last ten months ie since Oct 2017.
The protesting employees appealed the Hon’ble Advisor BB Vyas Sb to kindly prevail upon the department to take appropriate measures as they deem fit considering the fact that account of the Division be got detached or any alternative measure be adopted under law so that salary is drawn in favour of the employees who have been facing severe financial crisis.
The agitating employees along with their families otherwise will be forced to come on streets, also power supply will be disrupted in various districts if salary is not released in the ensuing week and responsibility of such outage shall be solely lying on the government.
On the assurance of the Advisor BB Vyas the employees decided to call off the proposed protest and hoped that in the ensuing week the salary issue shall be resolved.
