KL Report
Srinagar
On the first day of the two day strike called by employees’ Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in support of their demands including the two year increase in their retirement age, normal work in government offices was affected on Friday as employees observed pen down strike. However authorities foiled their protest march in Srinagar and put nearly a dozen of them under custody.
The JCC though managed to hold the protests at district headquarters across the state where the protesting employees presented memoranda to the respective deputy commissioners.
Joint coordination Committee (JCC) had called for protest marches at district headquarters today to press for their demands. According to eye witnesses scores of employees assembled near Press enclave at Srinagar and raised antigovernment slogans. They were demanding the implementation of the agreement which they say Government was deliberately backtracking from. However they were intercepted by Police when they began marching towards Deputy Commissioner’s office to present a memorandum to deputy commissioner.
“Police did not allow us to march towards the deputy commissioner’s office and arrested at least a dozen of employees including Muntazir Mohiuddin, Fayaz Ahmad Shabnam , Nusrat Beigh and myself”, JCC spokesman Farooq Ahmad Trali told KNS.
Meanwhile employees took out protest marches at district headquarters across the state and presented memoranda to the respective deputy commissioners. JCC took out protest march from mini secretariat led by Rafiq Ahmad Rather and Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat which later dispersed near Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they presented memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.
In Kupwara the march was led by Mir Fayaz and S Gh Rasool Geelani where as Pirzada Shareefuddin led the march in Bandipora. According to JCC Spokesman, similar kind of March were taken out from all the district headquarters of the state.
He added that as per the programme employees would take out a march towards Governor’s house on Saturday. “We are expecting thousands of employees to assemble at Municipal Park in Srinagar tomorrow, wherefrom they will take out a march which would be led by Abdul Qayoom Wani, Muntazir Mohi ud din, Ab. Gafoor Dar and other JCC leaders towards the Governor house”, Farooq Trali told KNS, adding that government was forcing them to take to roads.
“They are not listening to us and have forced us to take extreme steps”, he said. The spokesman also said that the JCC leadership would sit together on Saturday afternoon at 4 PM to discuss the future course of action. “We may intensify the strike if government fails to deliver”, Trail added.
