KL Report
SRINAGAR
The police on Thursday detained hundreds of government employees when they tried to stage a protest demonstration to press for their demands at Gandhi Nagar in Jammu.
According to KNS, scores of employees sustained injuries after police foiled their protest march in Gandhi Nagar. The employees tried to take out their protest march but police swung into action and prevented them from disrupting the area. Hundreds of employees including Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani were detained and put behind bars at police lines.
The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of the employees, had called for protest at Jammu to press for their demands including enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularization of daily wagers and consolidated workers.
Eye witnesses told KNS that as soon as employees assembled at Gandhi Nagar and started a protest, large number of police personnel intercepted them and did not allow them to proceed. “However, the employees did not relent and continued with their protest. The large number of police personnel bundled scores of employees in police vehicles and took them to different police stations. The police action created panic and traffic movement was also affected for quite some time,” eye witness told KNS.
Meanwhile Talking to KNS, Abdul Qayoom Wani, senior leader JCC said that government’s confrontation with the employees is not at all good and will yield only destructive results. “Our demands are genuine and the government acknowledged the same many a times. We are striving for our demands in a democratic way and we will never quit. He also warned the government that if government will continue with this kind of attitude we will go for an indefinite strike and we also will not hesitate from stopping essential services.”
Pertinently JCC had issued a fresh protest calendar calling for five-day protest demonstrations commencing from January 31. Wani appealed the employees to stage one hour sit-in in front of chief minister Omar Abdullah’s residence at Wazarat Road in Jammu on January 31.
He called for gherao of legislative assembly complex in Jammu on February 14. He appealed employees to go for pen down strike on February 15. “And if our demands are not met and a concrete decision is not taken by the government till February 15, on February 16 the JCC will decide about future course of action which may include an option to go for indefinite strike,” Wani told KNS on phone form Jammu.
Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, when contacted by KNS said: “The government has already constituted a cabinet subcommittee to deal with the matter and the committee will be better to talk on the issue.”
Taj Mohi-u-Din, minister for PHE and member of the cabinet subcommittee on employees demands, told KNS: “I will tell employee leadership to exhibit patience because we have already met their demands. As far as the pay anomaly is concerned, the committee on this demand is preparing its report and once we receive it, a decision on the same will be taken appropriately.
Regarding regularization of daily wagers, let me tell you that it is the employees who have to submit the records and let them furnish the record to the government for further necessary action.”
