Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Aug 19: Normal work in the municipal committees and councils across the Kashmir valley was severely affected as the employees of urban local bodies started their two day pen down/tool down strike on Monday. The sanitation services were also badly affected as the sanitation staff did not attend to their duties in the second shift. Urban local bodies' employees carried out protest demonstrations at the various district headquarters along with the protests at Directorate office and the premises of Civil Secretariat. The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands and accused the State Government of resorting to dilly dallying tactics in fulfilling the demands. Reports reaching here said that scores of employees of urban local bodies' suspended their work and carried out protest demonstration in support of their demands. The employees vowed that they would continue with their agitation unless and until their demands are not met by the State Government. President Urban Local Bodies Employees United Forum (ULBEUF), Manzoor Ahmad Pampori led the protest demonstration of the employees at Baramulla and impressed upon the State Government to fulfill the demands of employees. Pampori along with the other employees took part in the agitation programme that was organized in the Sherwani hall in the district. Meanwhile, a delegation of ULBEUF met Urban Development Minister, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Commissioner/Secretary, urban development, Jeet Lal Gupta, Director urban local bodies, Shafat Noor Barlas and the other Government higher ups in connection with the demands of the urban local bodies' employees at the Civil Secretariat here. "We have decided to carry on with our agitation programme despite the talks with the concerned Minister and the other Government officials. As the Government has ditched us in the past there is no fun in suspending the strike for the time being. If the Government fails to concede our demands by August 24 we will go for Jail Bharo from August 26 in support of our demands," said Manzoor while sharing views with Early Times. Listing the demands Manzoor said that salary of employees especially of Safai Karamcharies should be released at the earliest. He also pitched for implementation of service rules and reorganization in the department, release of before budget according to service rules and reorganization, release of arrears of 6th pay commission, framing of seniority list of every cadre, issuance of SRO 43 and time bound cases, DPC at divisional and State level regularization of adhoc daily wagers and consolidated workers in the department. |
