JKEEGA to hold protest on Feb 6 over regularisation of engineers

Srinagar, Jan 9: The Jammu and Kashmir Electrical Engineers' Association (JKEEGA) has announced plans to stage protests on February 6-7, 2025, if the government fails to address key human resource issues, particularly the long-overdue regularization of engineers in the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department (JKPDD).

This announcement follows a recent one-day protest held by power engineers in Srinagar and Jammu, triggered by the government's inaction on a 2019 State Administrative Council (SAC) decision that mandated the regularisation of all JKPDD engineers. Frustrated by the lack of progress and the expiration of a notice period issued on December 4, 2024, hundreds of engineers took to the streets to demand the fulfilment of their rights on Wednesday.

During the protests, JKEEGA President Er. Pirzada Hidayatullah and General Secretary Er. Sachin Tickoo addressed the crowd, emphasising the government's neglect of their situation. They reiterated that engineers have been delivering vital services under challenging conditions while facing ongoing uncertainty about their employment status due to ad-hoc arrangements.

The protests highlighted the systemic degradation of JKPDD and called attention to significant vacancies within the department, which hinder effective operations. The leadership expressed concern over the lack of communication from the JKPDD administrative department regarding regularization efforts, especially for 250 engineers whose cases have been pending since 2019.

"If our demands are not met, JKEEGA plans to escalate their efforts, potentially collaborating with the All India Power Engineers Federation for nationwide protests." They urged the government to take immediate action to resolve these long-standing issues to ensure the stability and morale of the power engineering workforce in Jammu and Kashmir.