All J&K PDL Union of KPDCL has appealed to the Principal Secretary, Power Department, for urgent and serious intervention, stating that the prolonged delay in the regularization of daily-wage PDL employees has become intolerable.
Union Chairman Mohammad Yousuf Goso and Provincial President Imtiyaz Ahmad Shah said that most PDL employees have been serving with dedication for over two decades and are regarded as the "backbone" of the power infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. They stressed that during the devastating 2014 floods and the COVID-19 crisis in 2019, it was these very employees who risked their lives to restore the electricity supply system, yet their rights remain unfulfilled.
According to the union, despite meagre wages, these employees continue to work tirelessly—whether in freezing winters, scorching summers, heavy snow, or stormy rains—ensuring electricity restoration, patrolling, billing, and system maintenance. However, they are facing uncertainty due to unnecessary delays in the implementation of promotion and regularization orders under SRO 381 of 1981 and the 2012 Cabinet decision.
Statistics reveal that on January 14, 2019, the Departmental Promotion Committee had recommended the regularization of 3,284 eligible employees. In 2019, out of 6,186 total PDL employees, 5,550 had already completed more than seven years of service. But in 2021, only 2,081 Class-IV posts were made available, which the union described as highly insufficient.
The union leaders also alleged that the cases of eligible PDL employees from North, South, and Ganderbal dating back to 1997–98 are still pending, calling it “a gross injustice.” They said the prolonged delay has caused deep frustration and demoralization among the workforce.
The PDL Union urged the Principal Secretary to issue promotion and regularization orders for all eligible employees on a priority basis and ensure that all KPDCL posts are reserved exclusively for PDL employees, so that their rights and dignity are safeguarded.