Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 17: Police today resorted to baton charge and used water cannon against SSA (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan) teachers, who were protesting for implementation of 7th Pay Commission and delinking of salaries from the Central Fund.
Under the banner Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Joint Action committee, hundreds of teachers from different districts protested at Sher-e-Kashmir Park here today. They were holding placards inscribed with demands for the delinking of their salaries from the Central Fund and implementation of 7th Pay Commission.
They said that families of over 40,000 teachers were suffering mental trauma due to non-implementation of 7th Pay Commission, and failure of Government to streamline their salaries. ”We have extended our support to the teachers who have been protesting for their demands. We can wait two-three months for the delinking of salaries but would not compromise on the implementation of 7th Pay Commission”, president employees Joint Action Committee, Qayoom Wani said, adding government has been indifferent towards the demands of the teachers.
He said from March 2017, the teachers have been protesting for their demands but authorities have failed to act. “The Governments in the past made three committees to look into the matter but to no avail,” he said.
Wani said that the issue was also raised with Governor, N N Vohra. “The Governor forwarded cases to the departments of Finance and Education who failed to do anything,” he said. “We want the Governor to personally look into the matter”, they added.
Several protestors were bundled into police vans outside the Sher-e-Kashmir Park. After stepping out of the park the police, equipped with riot gear, stopped and used water cannon to disperse them. Scenes of teachers being hit with batons and thrown by the shooting of high-velocity stream of water from cannons were also witnessed.
The protesters said that they have been demanding to streamline their salaries for last several years but to no avail. They said that there are nearly 50, 000 SSA teachers working with the education department. “Almost 50% of the staff of primary and middle schools is SSA teachers. If the government wants that schools should function properly, it should streamline our salaries”, he added.
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