Srinagar

Police on Monday used water cannons to foil a protest march of Daily Wagers and Casual Labours of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department and detained scores of its members.

The protest was carried out against the government’s “imminent decision” of regularizing the employees “who are affiliated with the pro-India political parties”.

The protesters assembled outside the PHE head office at Lal Chowk and chanted slogans including ‘we want justice’.

A large number of protesting PHE daily wagers and causal labours tried to march towards civil secretariat. As soon as the protesters led by the association president, Sajad Ahmad Parray, tried to march, police used water cannons to foil their attempt and detained scores of its members.

The protesters said that a large number of daily wagers and casual labourers who have been appointed since 1994 have not been regularized so far.

They said that the finance minister Drabu had promised them that they will be regularized. “A committee headed by chief Secretary was formed in this regard. The committee had to submit its report on May 30.”

They alleged that a sub-committee meeting was held on May 30 in which it was decided that those “who have been appointed in the year 2007 to 2010 and having political affiliation with PDP and BJP will be regularized”.

“We are being forced to take streets against the government,” they added.

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