Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 31: Police today foiled the protest march of casual workers and detained at least a dozen of them after they attempted to march towards the Clock Tower (Ganta Ghar) to press for their demands.
Hundreds of workers protested at Partap Park, Press Enclave, here under the banner of the Jammu and Kashmir Daily Wagers and Casual Laborers Association (JKDWCA), raising slogans in support of their demands.
Protestors attempted to march towards the clock tower after a barrage of sloganeering but were stopped by police on Residency Road, where several protestors were detained.
Protesters demanded that the minimum wage act be implemented and that their services be regularized. “Last month, Home Minister, Amit Shah announced that the minimum wage act had been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, but daily wagers continue to receive pitiful wages,” said the Association’s president, Sajjad Ahmad Parray.
He said that because Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory, daily wagers must be paid in accordance with central laws. “If Jammu and Kashmir has been converted into a UT, then the wages should be applied accordingly. We want the government to put the Minimum Wage Act into effect,” he said.
He said that the other demands include jobs for land donors, year-round use of seasonal labourers, and jobs for the kins of those who have died in the line of duty. “We have been demanding these things for many years and we do not have any new demands,” he said.
He expressed his inability to comprehend the reasons behind the administration’s apathy towards them. “Are we not human beings? We are demanding our rights,” he asked.
He threatened to intensify protests if their demands are not met. “We will continue protesting until our demands are not fulfilled,” he said.
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