Srinagar

Everyday there is a protest reported from the city centre, who reaches here to get a prominent place in the daily newspapers so that authorities get to know their demands. But this Monday there was a different protest when all bearded men reached here to mark their protest. Imams associated with the State’s Waqf board were protesting against the ‘discrimination’.

“We have to live on meagre sums. We are serving this department as daily wagers from many years now. We are given an honorarium of 8500 per month from the past six years and there is no hike in our salaries. How can we manage the expenses of our families on such meagre salaries?” questioned one of the Imams.

He compared his post to a sweeper of the same organization and said, “They are in better condition than us as they get regularized in time and enjoy all the benefits of a permanent job and we have been engaged as daily wagers where we have lesser salaries and don’t have any benefit.”

There are around 70 imams associated with the board. Pertinently only a month ago all other staff members of the board other than the imams, received the yearly hike apart from the dearness allowances. But there are no such provisions for the imams and their salaries are constant since years, claimed a group of imams who were protesting against this discrimination.

The imams have appealed the concerned authorities for the regularization of their services and a yearly hike so that they can also provide a better living to their families.

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