Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 27: Legislative Assembly this morning witnessed noisy scenes after National Panthers Party (NPP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members shouted slogans against the Government, alleging discrimination in regularization of daily wagers and Rehbar-e-Ziarat (ReZ) in Jammu region.
As the House met this morning to take up Question Hour, the NPP and BJP members were on their toes shouting slogans against the Government.
Speaker Mubarak Gul requested the members to resume their seats but they kept shouting, holding placards in their hands reading: “Regularise all daily wagers and Contractuals of Power Development Department (PDD) and Public Health Engineering (PHE).”
The Speaker asked them to resume their seats and will allow them to speak after Question Hour. “I will allow you to raise all your issues after the Question Hour. I will direct the Government to give you reply,” the Speaker said. However, the NPP and BJP continued shouting and refused to go to their seats.
The Speaker ruled that if the opposition members are not interested in Question Hour, let them speak. The PDP MLAs and Independent MLA Engineer Rashid also rose to their feet causing uproar in the House.
In order to restore order, Speaker Mubarak Gul directed the media not to telecast and broadcast anything except the proceedings of Question Hour in the House.
As the NPP and BJP members were posing for photographs towards press gallery, the Speaker ordered that all placards be seized. He also ruled that media should not telecast or broadcast anything except proceedings of the Question Hour. “Telecast only proceedings of the Question-Hour”, Speaker directed media.
BJP member Ashok Khajuria said Jammu was facing worst power crisis though people are paying regularly their bills and meteres were installed. He said that the transformers at various places have developed snags and are not being repaired.
When the Speaker allowed MLA Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen to speak, NPP and BJP members continued shouting ‘Jo Sarkar Bijli, Pani Nah Dey Woh Sarkar Nikamee Hai’. However, on the directions of the Speaker, marshals snatched placards from the NPP members.
The NPP leader Harshdev Singh said despite announcement by the ministers on the floor of the House last year, the daily wagers and contractuals of PHE and PDD, who have completed seven years in service, have not been regularised.
Singh said that it is contemptuous that the Government has not fulfilled its commitment that was made on the floor of the House.
The NPP leader alleged that daily wagers of PHE in Jammu are being paid at the rate of Rs 500 per month while in the Kashmir valley they are being paid Rs 3700. “Why this pay disparity?” he asked and demanded equal wages to all. He said Rehbar-e-Ziarat (ReZ) in the Kashmir valley were regularised while no ReZ has been regularised in Jammu.
“It is good that ReZ in Kashmir were regularised but why ReZ of Jammu were left out”, he asked from Government. He said that this discrimination won’t be tolerated. “The ReZ candidates are on dharna in Jammu today”, he informed the House.
The BJP MLA Durga Dass beat his chest and forehead to draw the attention of the Speaker to raise some issue of his Hiranagar constituency. However, he was stopped by Ashok Khajuria.
Though NPP and BJP members continued shouting, the Speaker started Question Hour. As there was chaos the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir intervened to restore order after half an hour.
Mir requested the Speaker to allow all NPP and BJP members to raise their issues. He accepted and all the members resumed their seats.
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