JAMMU: Power Development Department linemen from Channi Himmat, Narwal, Trikuta Nagar, Bhatindi and Sidhra areas on Wednesday staged a protest against the high-handness of policemen from Channi Himmat Police Station after one of their colleagues was picked up by them late Tuesday night after a VIP lodged a ‘verbal’ complaint against him for not restoring the snapped power supply in the posh Sector 5 of the Housing Colony.
Throughout the day none of the linemen attended the calls and left the powerless residents suffer in the scorching heat.
According to local residents, in the Sector 5 late Tuesday night, when some of the newly fitted LT distribution boxes caught fire leading to snapping of power supply to the neighbouring houses, the PDD line men were duly informed to visit the spot and rectify the same.
It was around 1.00 A.M the initial call was made by the residents of Sector 5 in the area.
A VIP reportedly intervened in the matter to ensure early restoration of power supply to his house but when the lineman failed to restore the power supply in the absence of any power cable and other material he was dragged to the Channi Himmat Police Station.
As the lineman was able to pass on the message and his location to his fellow colleagues in the night several other linemen also assembled in the power station and later at the intervention of senior PDD officials the police released the lineman.
According to local residents, PDD lineman on duty initially responded to the call and visited the area but expressed his inability to restore the power supply and tried to convince the local residents that in reality it is the responsibility of the private company to fix the fault since PDD linemen have not been provided with the required material and other equipment to attend to such emergency calls. Infuriated local residents, instead of looking for some other alternative, informed the local Police Station, which under pressure from some of the VIPs in the area brought the linemen on duty to the Channi Himmat police station.
Dejected with the treatment meted out to them by the local residents ,the linemen decided to stay away from work since morning and raised the issue with their superior officers, demanding clear cut line of action to be decided in the event of repeat of such episodes due to intensifying heat conditions. After lot of persuasion by the senior officers and intervention of policemen PDD engineers were able to restore the power supply to the area.
The local police officers also tendered verbal apology to PDD linemen in the evening and pacified them to attend to genuine calls of local residents. Police officers ,however, advised them to attend to the complaints of local residents in time without wasting any time.
On their part the PDD linemen urged their superior officers to clarify the line of action as confusion prevails on ground zero as to who will attend to complaints in areas where insulated cables and LT distribution boxes have been made operational.