Excelsior Correspondent
![Home Guards during a protest in front of Press Club, Jammu on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh](http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Homeguard-300x169.jpg)
JAMMU, Mar 23: All J&K Home Guard Welfare Association (HGWA) today staged a protest dharna here in front of Press Club in support of their long pending demands including fixation of their salaries.
The participants raised slogans against the Government for ignoring the honest and dedicated services of Home Guards and demanded that the State Home Guards be provided same benefits, as were available to their counterparts in neighbouring Punjab and other states.
The speakers resented the negligent attitude of the State Government towards the long outstanding demands of Home Guards.
Addressing the protesting Home Guards, Association president, Kamla Sharma, criticized former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for not fulfilling his promise of conceding their (Home Guards’) demands.
Reiterating the demands of the Home Guards like fixation of salary, re-engagement of dis-engaged Home Guards, re-employment in Railways or any other department keeping in mind the employees’ experience, the association president said the State Home Guards are doing their assigned jobs with full dedication and hard work but the State authorities have no concern with the hardships being faced by them.
She said the Home Guards have been struggling for their genuine demands for last nine years but a deaf year has been turned to their genuine demands.
The speakers said that in case the Government fails to meet the genuine demands of the Home Guards, this organization needs to be closed once for all.