SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes after National Panthers Party (NPP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members shouted slogans against the government, alleging discrimination with 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.
Despite repeated directions by Speaker Mubarak Gul to agitated members to resume seats they keep shouting, holding playcards in their hands which reads ‘regularise all daily wagers and contractuals of Power Development Department (PDD) and Public Health Engineering (PHE)’. “I will allow you to raise all your issues after the Question Hour..I will direct the government to give you reply in case of necessary,” 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. BJP member Ashok Kumar Khajuria said Jammu was facing worst power crisis though people are paying regularly their bills and meteres were installed. However, NPP leader Haresh Dev Singh said despite announcement by the ministers on the floor of the House last year, the daily wagers and contractuals of PHE PDD, who have completed seven years in service, have not been regularised.
Mr Singh alleged that daily wagers of PHE in Jammu were being paid at the rate of Rs 500 per month while in the Kashmir valley they were being paid Rs 3700. Why this pay disparity, he said and demanded equal wages to all. Similarly 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, he wanted to know and said this discrmination with Jammu will not be tolerated. The ReZ candidates are on dharna in Jammu today, he informed the House.
When the Speaker allowed Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen 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 playcards from the NPP members. Hakeem Yaseen was saying something about Toshamaidan Army firing range in the central Kashmir. However, due to din nothing could be heard as NPP and BJP members wanted immediate reply from the ministers to their issues. Durga Dass beating his chest to draw the attention of the Speaker to raise some issue of his Hira Nagar constituency. However, he was stopped by Mr Khajuria. Though NPP and BJP members continued shouting, the Speaker took up the first question.
Order was restored after about half an hour when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir requested the Speaker to allow all NPP and BJP members to raise their issues before Zero Hour.
(AGENCIES)