Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 8: There seems to be no takers of the PHE daily wagers, ITI trained and CP workers as despite 30 days of their constant protest-dharna; the PDP-BJP Government has made no serious efforts to resolve issue and release their hard earned wages of several months, forcing them to starvation.
Even the proposed meeting with the Minister for PHE, I&FC Sukhnandan Choudhary as fixed with the assurance of Chief Engineer was also cancelled today. They condemned the attitude of the Government and alleged that not even a single BJP MLA visited them during last one month of protest.
A large number of workers, under the banner of All J&K PHE, ITI Trained & CP Workers Association today again assembled at BC Road office of the Chief Engineer in the morning and started protest demonstration against the higher authorities in the department. The workers were raising loud slogans against the Chief Engineer concerned, Minister for PHE Sukhnandan Choudhary, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu and Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed. They also raised slogans against BJP Ministers from Jammu region for their failure to project their cause.
The agitating workers are demanding to frame proper policy for their regularization and release of their pending wages. They alleged that Government has turned a deaf ear towards to their plight. Moreover, they were not paid their wages on the recent festivals of Eid, Raksha Bandhan and Janamashtami. Their families remained starved during these festivals.
The workers were demanding release of their wages in time and regularly and enhancement in the rate of their daily wages. They demanded that disparity in the wages of the Valley based and Jammu region workers be removed and unique wage system be adopted in all the three regions of the State.
Provincial president of the Association, Tanveer Hussain alleged that despite assurance given by Minister for PHE and senior officers, their demands have not been met with. Many of them have been working for the last 15-20 years but they are still waiting for their regularization.
Tanveer further alleged great discrimination was meted out to the workers of Jammu region. He said the money which was released for the ITI trained workers vide Govt order No. FD-VIII-23/1/2009 dated 30-6-2015, was to the tune of Rs 1400.36 crore whereas, Jammu’s share was kept just Rs 287.79 crore while lion’s share of Rs 1116.57 crore was kept for the workers of Kashmir. This is glaring example of discrimination by the Government with the workers of Jammu.
He said today in Srinagar Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu visited the protesting workers of the PHE, PWD, Agriculture but not even a single Jammu minister or BJP MLA/ MLC ever visited them or gave assurance to come out for mediation or resolving the issue.
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