Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 14: The daily rated, consolidated and ITI trained workers of PHE department today took out a strong protest rally towards Civil Secretariat but their `Sectt Gherao’ programme was foiled by police in Gumat area.
A large number of PHE workers, who are on strike since Sept 7, 2018, assembled at Exhibition Ground near Press Club in the morning. The workers from all the Divisions and PHE sub Divisions of Jammu district, besides Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi etc. in large number under the leadership, Tanveer Hussain shouted slogans in support of their demands moved towards the Civil Secretariat.
They planned to conduct `Gherao’ of Secretariat. After passing through Dogra Chowk they reached JP Chowk near Upper Gumat. Then a strong police contingent stopped them raising barricades. They blocked the road and disrupted the movement of traffic for about an hour. They were shouting slogans in support of their demands and also against the Governor Administration. Many of them were carrying banners depicting their demands of release of wages and their regularization. They also raised loud slogans against Chief Engineer, Commissioner/ Secretary PHE, I&FC and the concerned Advisor. They have little scuffle with cops but could not move ahead. The police arrested their leader Tanveer Hussain and detained him at Nawabad Police Station for few hours.
Tanveer Hussain, president of the Union and several other trade unionists addressed the gathering before launching march and strongly criticized the higher authorities for not releasing their wages for the last about four years. They alleged that neither the Govt completed process of their regularization, nor it released wages of the workers despite assurances even on the floor of the Assembly House and outside by the previous Govt. They alleged that their families have been left for starvation. Even they are unable to pay the school fees of their children and feed them. They pointed out that there are about 22,000 such workers who await Govt response. They urged upon the Governor and the Advisor, K K Sharma to address their long pending issues.
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