Governance

NC Provincial President Rana urges JK Governor Malik to regularize PHE daily wagers

Image Courtesy: Tobias Higbie

Jammu: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana on Friday urged Governor Satya Pal Malik to look into the issues pertaining to regularization and release of wages to daily rated workers, saying drift-like situation has impacted utility services leading to drinking water crisis especially in most of the areas, Kashmir News Service (KNS) reported.

“Despite a policy decision taken and the regularization approved in two cabinet meeting by the successive governments, the issue is unnecessarily being lingered, leading to chaotic situation”, Rana said while responding to the demands raised by a delegation of All J and K Public Health Engineering, ITI Trained CP workers and Land Donors Association, Jammu Province, which called on him here this afternoon under the leadership of Tanvir Hussain.

Rana hoped that the Governor, Advisors and the Chief Secretary would take immediate call on the situation created due continuous strike of the daily rated workers since September 9, as a result of which most of the areas are facing severe and erratic drinking water supply. He expressed surprise over selective approach adopted by the previous government in regularizing different category of workers and sought the cases of the left over segments to be considered in a time bound basis.

Recalling the headway made during the tenure of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister, Rana said that a basic exercise had been carried out after thorough deliberations at various levels and the new political government had only to physically verify those who had to be regularized. Instead of doing so, he blamed the previous PDP-BJP government of taking sadistic pleasure in the sufferings of the people, be they the workers engaged in utility services or the beneficiaries.

He expressed regrets over the continuous delay in sort out the issues pertaining to the daily wagers, saying due to rigid approach of the administration families of all these categories of workers have virtually come on roads due to delay in salaries and arrears pending for years.

Taking note of the issues raised by the delegation, the Provincial President spoke to Advisor to Governor over phone and raised the issues related to regularization and release of salaries to these categories of daily rated and casual. He sought their genuine demands to be met in a time bound manner as also release of wages before ensuing festival of Diwali.

Rana also spoke to Principal Secretary Finance and Chief Engineer PHE and brought to their notice problems faced by these categories of workers, who are on strike since September 9. He expressed surprise over lackadaisical approach of the administration in addressing to the grievances of the striking workers and said that nobody seems to be bothered either about their problems or the people who are braving the brunt on account of almost utility services, especially erratic supply of drinking water.

Pledging solidarity of National Conference with the striking workers, Rana said that they were within their rights to protest peacefully in a democratic manner. He said National Conference understands the difficulties being faced by the families of these workers in these hard times. He said that despite personal problems these workers have been working tirelessly to meet the aspirations of people.

Prominent among those accompanying the delegations included Deepak Gupta, Subash Chander, Mangeet Singh, Vijay Kumar, Tilak Raj, Pardeep Sharma, Altaf Hussain, Rajesh Sharma, Ravi Kumar, Pawan Kumar, Ghulam Nabi, Ashiq Hussain and others. (KNS)

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