Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 10: Police today cane charged and used water cannons to foil a protest march in Srinagar by hundreds of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department employees who were demanding regularization of their services.
The casual and daily rated PHE employees assembled at Pratap Park in Lal Chowk and then marched towards Sher-e-Kashmir Park, which is located outside the headquarters of ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where from they carried out a protest march.
The employees, including women, raised anti-government slogans and demanded regularization. The employees said that they are working in the PHE Department from years but they are not being regularized despite repeated promises by successive regimes.
As the protest was underway, contingents of police, who were already present on the spot, cane charged them. Police also used water cannons on PHE employees who, however, offered stiff resistance.
The employees of PHE have been staging protests since long over their demand of regularization.
Due to standoff between employees and police, the traffic along Residency Road came to halt for nearly 15 to 20 minutes and got restored only after the protesters dispersed.
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