The case of PDD’s inability to evolve a system in which hundreds of damaged power transformers could be repaired and made functional within shortest possible time, has been hanging fire for many years. The Department is unable to make payment to private firms authorized to do the repairing work. It is more than a year that payment of crores of rupees to the private agencies for repairing transformers is pending with the Department. Despite repeated reminders by the private firms, the PDD does not respond. Many of them have incurred loans from the banks to run their workshops. However, owing to non-payment of arrears, they are unable to repay the loans and are reeling under the burden of debt.
Frustrated by unresponsive attitude of the PDD, about 32 private unit holders have decided to go on a strike. The PDD owes them a hefty amount around 37 crore rupees. We understand that the contentious issue is that the PDD wants the private firms give a guarantee of the repaired machines functioning normally for a specific number of years. The firms are unable to give such an assurance and counter the Government that the Department does not ask for any commitment from their own workshops. The fear is that if the stalemate is not broken soon, many parts of the city will have to plunge into darkness because with non-replacement of power transformers, entire areas will experience a long spell of darkness. This will be a serious situation and the Government ought to take cognizance of the same. We have reports that more than 400 damaged transformers are lying with the units in Kashmir and more than 350 in Jammu region. The PDD’s own workshops are unable to take this load and their capacity is just to perform about 30 % of this work. The department is mainly dependent on private firms for repair of damaged transformers.
Arrears of payment should be made to the private firms at once and without any conditions. They have to be treated at par with the department’s transformers repairing unit and not to be discriminated against. The way stalemate has ensued is a bad and dangerous way and must be avoided at any cost.
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