Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 24: Police today foiled the bid of J&K SRTC voluntary retired employees to take out a procession towards Civil Secretariat from Press Club here in support of their long pending demands and release of pending dues.
The protestors raising slogans in support of their demands tried to move towards the Civil Secretariat from Press Club but Police did not allow them to go ahead.
The workers in their bid jostled with the police also for some time near Press Club.
Earlier a large number of voluntarily retired SRTC employees under the banner of SRTC Volunteer Retired Employees Association assembled in the Exhibition Ground and staged a protest demonstration there.
The protest was led by Dev Raj Bali president of the Association and Surinder Singh its general secretary. The protestors with banners and pla- cards in their hands were raising slogans in support of their demands.
They alleged that the Government has sufficient funds but they are not releasing the same to pay the dues of VRS employees of SRTC for last four years forcing them to come to roads.
They renewed their appeal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asking him that the case be decided on priority basis by seeking an permission from Election Commission and the payment be released at an earliest as the employees have already suffered a lot during last four years.
The protestors are demanding 126 slabs of COLA, from January 1, 2006, 16 installments from 2007, 18 from 2008, 26 from 2009, 35 and 31 installments from April 2010 besides release of pending arrears from 1999 as well as Sixth Pay Commission arrears from January 1, 2006.