Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 29: The State wide pen down strike of Girdawars and Patwaris entered 16th day today with hundreds of Patwaris and Girdawars staging a sit-in protest at DC office complex, Jammu.
On the call given by All J&K Patwar Association, all the Girdawars and Patwaris throughout the State have been on strike for last 16 days in support of their demands and to register their protest they are also on continuous sit-in protest at DC office.
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Today also hundreds of Girdawars and Patwaris assembled at DC office and raised slogans against the Government for ignoring their demands. The speakers said that they were assured of fulfilling their demands many times in the past by the concerned authorities but every time they were cheated and compelled to chose the path of agitation.
Reiterating their demands like grade pay for Graduate Patwaris, conducting timely DPC of Patwaries and Girdawars, creation of GQ Circles and Patwar halqas, ban on direct recruitment of Naib Tehsildar, enhancement of allowances for Patwaris and Girdawars, rent for Patwar Khanas (private accommodation) and construction of Patwar Khanas, senior State vice president of AJKPA, Mushtaq Ahmed Ganai and Jammu provincial president, Farooq Malik, said that the association will continue their pen down strike throughout the State till their demands are not met.
They said that for inconvenience to the public due to the strike of the association, Government is fully responsible. Other association leaders present on the protest site were Raman Ram Sharma, ex-State president, Kaleem Ahmed, Jammu district president, Rajan Kumar, district vice president, Shabir Ahmed, secretary, Jammu, Sadeeq Ahmed (accountant) and Jagdish Raj (cashier).