SHAH ABBAS
SRINAGAR
Police foiled ‘Secretariat Gairao’ of government employees by arresting more than a hundred protesters including the top leadership of ‘Employees joint Action Committee (EJAC)’, an amalgam of trade union associations and organizations in Lal chowk area of this summer capital on Monday. Before their arrest, EJAC leaders announced their fresh protest calendar.
EJAC has been demanding the issuance of formal order over the implementation of agreement with the Government which include regularization of daily wagers, removal of pay anomaly and enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years.
“If government failed to keep the promises made twice and did not implement the agreement made with us Employees throughout the state will go on a two days pen down strike on 5 and 6th November. EJAC leadership will also lead a sit in in-front of the Secretariat in Jammu on the very first day of its commencement in the winter capital,” senior EJAC leader Abdul Qayoom told reporters.
Amid high sloganeering against the National Conference led coalition government, Wani alleged that the state government is not fulfilling the promises made by it and has failed to implement the agreement reached with the EJAC leadership.
“State government is deceiving lakhs of employees by buying time and it is not sincere in solving our problems and fulfilling our demands,” agitated Wani said.
Other EJAC senior leaders Khurseed Aalam and Farooq Trali also joined Qayoom and accused the government of ‘cheating and breaking of agreements’.
A huge number of Employees, gathered in press colony, started marching towards the civil Secretariat but administration had already deployed a huge number of Police personal on the residency road who did not allow the protesters to move beyond.
Police arrested scores of protesters including Abdul Qayoom Wani, Khursheed Aalam, Farooq Trali and others”.
“I am with almost 60 employees and we have been kept in Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station,” Wani said to Kashmir Life. Sources said that a number of protesters were also taken to different police stations as well.
He alleged that administration did not allow the employees from different parts of the valley to reach Srinagar and police personal were searching for employees on every road leading to the summer capital. “But still thousands of them succeeded in reaching Srinagar including representatives from Jammu and Ladakh,” Wani added.
Meanwhile traffic remained disturbed on residency road for more than an hour due to the Employees protests that were regrouping after every chase of the police. Police had also closed the gates of Pratap Park causing public inconvenience.
