KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
On early Wednesday when faithful were busy with mandatory congregational Eid prayers, scores of youth working in J&K Tourism department held protests demanding release of their pending salaries.
The reason of their protest was simple: when salary is pending for two years, how can they celebrate their Eid.
One of the 275 casual labourers working in Tourism department for last seven years while speaking to Kashmir Life said, “we had organized a protest rally from Tourism department near TRC to CM’s residence at Gupkar.”
As soon as the protesting youth took out rally from their office, Jammu and Kashmir Police swung in to action and lathi-charged the employees. “Scores of us were arrested,” the employee said. The police didn’t allow the protestors to move towards Gupkar.
Giving details, the temporary employee said, “275 casual labourers are without salary for last two years and the PDP-BJP government has not paid any heed to our pathetic situation.”
The employee said that 275 such employees have contributed a lot in the revival of tourism parks across J&K post 2015 September floods. “It is we who revived the lost charm of these parks,” the employee claimed. “But we have been denied salary for last two years.”
The casual labourers are paid Rs 4500 a month by the Tourism department.
On the other hand, the disgruntled employees alleged, “since PDP-BJP government took over reins of J&K, we have been totally ignored.”
“While government says they don’t have money to pay our salaries how were 350 other such youth engaged by Tourism department after Mufti Sayeed became CM in 2015,” the protestors said.
Notably, the tourism department engaged 350 employees last year as “tourist police who are responsible to safeguard non-local tourists in Kashmir”. “They are receiving their salaries without any halt,” he said.
Further, the protesting employees said that they were being ignored in the policy devised for 61000 casual labourers of J&K. “The government recently announced biometric mapping of temporary employees, however, we have not been included,” they said. “We also met CM some time who assured us that whatever step for 61k temporary employees is taken will benefit us well but there seems no light in this case.”
