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| Govt.falters in tackling the season of strikes in J&K | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu,October 24 :-It is the season of strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.It is a phase of demonstrations,protest rallies for junior doctors and by the employees of the STRC.The doctors strike has entered into the 19th day and that of the SRTC employees into the 60th day.There seems to be no possibility of immediate end to the turmoil despite strict action having been started against the doctors.
While patients face odds because of junior doctors' strike passengers too feel harrassed owing to the total shutdown in the SRTC.As far as the doctors' strike is concerned the Chief Minister constituted a five-member team to negotiate with the striking doctors.The talks made no headway because the doctors' basic demands were not conceded.What is interesting is the way the Government adopted passive attitude for over 10 days with regard to the demands of the junior doctors and after the lapse of 11 days it started axing some of those doctors who were in the forefront of the agitation.Similarly prolonged talks with the SRTC employees too have not borne any result even after the Government agreed to release five-months salary.The talks failed because the SRTC employees have demanded implementation of the 6th pay commission report.
The doctors have some genuine demands.SRTC employees too have a valid grouse against the Government because the employees have not been able to draw their monthly salary on time.Usually their salary is not paid for two to four months.It gets released when the SRTC employees raise their voice and go on on strike.Admitted that the SRTC has never been out of red but the Government has to evolve a mechanism under which the employees receive their salry on time.But their demand for the implementation of the 6th pay commission report seems to be unjustified.Not that they do not deserve it but looking into the financial health of the corporation and the state Government hiking the salary of SRTC employees seemed to be unfeasible.Imagine the burden on the state exchequer when the annual losses of the SRTC have started touching Rs.36 crores.The state Government has not hiked the salary of employees of those corporations that run on profit and how was
it possible for the Government to implement the 6th pay commission report in the case of SRTC employees.
If the SRTC has always remained in the red the successive state Governments are responsible.For ministers,legislators and senior bureaucrats SRTC has been a rehabilitation centre for their relations and other acquiantances.During each successive regimes scores of drivers conductors and clerks were recruited in the SRTC and a stage had reached when there were three drivers for one bus or truck and four cleaners or conducters for each vehicle.Over the years the concerned authorities have never initiated measures for reviving and restructuring the SRTC.The Government has now started preparing a foolproof plan for reviving and restructuring the SRTC operations.Under this scheme all the outlived buses and trucks were to be auctioned and with additional financial support from the Government a fleet of new vehicles was to be added.The SRTC services on non-profitable routes were to be abandoned and strengthen the number of buses and trucks on profitable
routes.Its immovable assets were to be used for commercial practices so that the SRTC was able to generate internal resources.The Government also plans to introduce VRS.This way it is better for the SRTC employees to call off their strike and await the implementation of the revival plan.
As far as the case of junior doctors was concerned their demand for band III pay is considered as genuine by senior doctors on the plea that since their counterparts in rest of the country were drawing band III payscale why should then the doctors in Jammu and Kashmir be singled out.However,experts are of the view that their demand that any offence committed by any patient or his or her attendent by way of assaulting doctors on duty be made nonbailable offence does not carry any weight.These experts say that there is a set criminal procedure for dealing with such offences and as such doctors should not treat themselves above any other profession.As far as their demand for revising the calender for time bound promotions was concerned the two sides could sort out the issue.
Knowing that the hospital services stand totally paralysed the Government was supposed to deal with the striking doctors with a humane face.Already as a result of shortage of doctors and paramedical staff the services in the Government hospitals have been far below than the services available in private hospitals and nursing homes.The Government must distinguish between senior doctors and junior doctors because the former earn a fortune from private practice while the latter has to bank only on the monthly salary.If the Government has implemented 6th pay commission report with the purpose of bringing the state employees at a par with the employees in the centre why it is not prepared to introduce band III payscale in favour of junior doctors when their counterparts in the rest of the country are in Band III category.By sacking doctors the Government may open the lid of the pandora's box thereby inviting severe problems for the people of the
state.(eom)
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