Jammu and Kashmir blackout: Army comes to help; Omar Abdullah says failure of civil administration

Photo for representational purpose

Power was restored in some pockets of Jammu and Kashmir after the Army, in a first, was called for help. Many areas in the region were in darkness after electricity employees went on an indefinite strike the merger of the J&K PDD into the Power Grid Corporation of India. Personnel of military engineering service reached a grid station on Sunday evening.

As per an NDTV report, the power sector employees of J&K had refused to repair a major power breakdown that happened over the weekend. Around 20,000 employees went on strike from midnight on Friday and decided not to carry out any repair and maintenance work until government accepts their demands.

The strike resulted in a complete breakdown of electricity in several districts. Outages were also reported in Jammu and Srinagar as well.

"Only 15 to 20 per cent feeders in Jammu region are affected. Efforts are on to rectify them. There is no effect in Kashmir. Everything is running there," Union Power Minister RK Singh said. Negotiations are on with the employees union in Kashmir, he added.

Omar Abdullah, vice president of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, said that it is a civil administration "failure" if Army is being called to restore power.

Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the Indian government bringing the Army to mediate the situation has "exposed their fake good governance narrative."

On Monday, the National Coordination Committee of electricity employees and engineers called for protests across country and asked state power unions to send memorandums to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. They also said that it is time to "show solidarity with the employees as a merger is not in the interest of the new Union Territory".

The employees' main demand is a reversal of the Centre's decision to privatise assets. They have also sought that daily wage people be regularised and the salary of the employees be released.

Talks between protesting employees and the administration have failed to make headway as the administration announced that reforms in the power sector are inevitable and they are following directions of the Central government.