Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 15: Scores of PDL and TDL workers from various parts of Jammu province staged a strong protest outside the Press Club here.
The demonstration, led by Akhil Sharma, State President of the PDL/TDL Workers Union, was joined by several leaders, including Shamsher Singh, Swamiraj, Asheesh Kumar, Bilal Ahmed, Choudhary Farooq, Asish Verma, Moti and Sajid Chib.
The protesting workers, who have been serving in various capacities within the Power Development Department (PDD) for over 25 years, expressed deep resentment over delays in the regularization process despite clear Government orders.
They highlighted that the State Administrative Council (SAC) had approved regularization based on seniority lists maintained by the Divisional Level Promotion Committee (DLPC), chaired by the Chief Engineer, Distribution JPDCL, under Government Order number 69-JKPDD of 2024, issued on April 4, 2024.
According to the workers, the regularization process, governed by the PDL/TDL Regularization Rules 2022, had previously resulted in the appointment of 221 workers under DPC Order number 59 of 2022, dated June 17, 2022.
However, they alleged that a finalized seniority list issued in December 2023 (CEJ/DPC/PDL/TDL/772-803) was put on hold after a change in leadership in JPDCL.
The protesters criticized the renewed exercise initiated in August 2024 to invite objections on the finalized seniority list.
They said the delay is unjustified, especially when 500 vacancies remain unfilled, and several senior PDL workers are nearing retirement without receiving their due regularization.
Adding to their woes, the workers highlighted that nearly 15 to 20 PDL workers have lost their lives in the past two years, leaving their families in dire straits without regularization benefits or any provisions for family support.
The union appealed to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary PDD, and MD JPDCL to intervene immediately to ensure the DPC is conducted without further delays.
They emphasized that the workers’ legitimate rights, already approved by the SAC, must be upheld as “justice delayed is justice denied.”
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