Bilal Habib
Pampore, April 10: All J&K TDL and PDL Electric Employees Union of Sub Division Pampore Thursday protested following the tragic death of Mohammad Yousuf Dar, a daily-wage PDL worker who succumbed to injuries sustained after falling from an electric pole while repairing a power line in the Pampore area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Dar, a resident of Goripora Barsoo, had been admitted to SKIMS Soura in critical condition a few days ago after the incident occurred in the Frestabal area. He passed away on Wednesday, prompting an outpouring of grief and anger among his colleagues.
The employees gathered at the PDD Sub Office in Pampore to stage a peaceful protest, demanding immediate financial compensation for the deceased’s family and a government job for one of the next of kin. Protesters also called for the implementation of long-pending regularization and safety measures for daily wage employees.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener, Mehraj Ud Din Bhat, State Vice President of the All J&K Electric Employees Union (PDL/TDL), said, “We are mourning the death of our colleague, who gave 20 years of his life to this department without regularization. He died on duty, and we demand justice — compensation for his family and a government job for one of his dependents.”
Bhat warned that if the department fails to respond, workers will be forced to intensify their protest, including a potential strike. He held the department’s leadership — including the Managing Director and the Chief Engineer — responsible for the lack of implementation of promised regularization measures.
“Despite over 450 on-duty deaths and injuries among our ranks, the department has failed to act. We are not blaming the government; the real betrayal is from within our own department,” he added.
He pointed out that under SRO 381, Class IV vacancies can be filled through Departmental Promotion Committees (DPC), and regularization files — already pending in offices — must be expedited.
Echoing these concerns, Gowhar Gulshan, Division President Awantipora of the Employees Union, said, “We held this condolence protest to demand timely disbursement of compensation, insurance benefits, and other entitled relief. The deceased contributed for these schemes throughout his service, and his family must not suffer further.”
He emphasized the need to resolve the issue of pending regularization for around 1,600 daily wagers in Pulwama, whose files, he claimed, are lying idle at the Chief Engineer’s office despite being cleared by the District Level Committee (DLC).
Gulshan also urged the Executive Engineer of Awantipora and Assistant Executive Engineer of Pampore to ensure swift relief measures. “We hope that assurances given by officials are fulfilled without delay,” he said.