Saima Bhat
Srinagar
The casual need based laborers of Power Development Department have started their indefinite strike from January 01 in summer capital Srinagar. Over half a dozen employees were detained by police after they staged protests accusing the state government of failing to fulfill its promises made to them.
A total of 3604 laborers from Kashmir division who are on strike were shouting slogans against the PDD department, power minister, chief engineer and the chief minister of the state in Lal Chowk area of Srinagar.
The protesting laborers of PDD were demanding immediate release of their salary which has not been released from past two years. “I am not demanding any regularization but I just want my salary which is pending from last 2 years. I don’t have any alternative on which I can feed my family- my children’s. Why don’t government think on that,” said Muzaffar Ahmad, a member from South Kashmir.
In March 2012, government released 6.5 crores as the salary for casual need laborers but that amount has not yet been given to the laborers. On August 30, 2012, an order of regularization- 265-PDD-059-2012 was also passed but so far not even the basic verification has been done, shared the protesting PPD employees.
However the power minister, Shabir Ahmad Khan told Kashmir Life that he will get the details but later didn’t respond to calls.
”Last year our 40 members got injured and now handicapped, and about 6 members died but none of them was given any compensation, not even their basic salary was released!” added another employee.
The need based workers have to work for seven years to become daily-wagers and then daily wagers have to work for more seven years to get regularized but in Kashmir such employees have served the department for more than 15 years at the cost of their lives but they are yet to get regularized.
