PHE workers stage protest, project pending demands

PHE workers staging protest at Udhampur on Monday.
PHE workers staging protest at Udhampur on Monday.

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, May 1: Jal Shakti/PHE Department workers held strong protest demonstration in support of their demands near PHE Complex here today.
The daily rated, consolidated and other workers of the department under the banner of Jal Shakti (PHE) Employees & Workers Association, Udhampur led by president , Som Nath assembled here today and held strong protest demonstration in support of their long pending demands. They were raising loud slogans projecting their demands.
While addressing huge gathering Som Nath alleged that J&K UT Government was ignoring and delaying the genuine issues of the PHE daily wagers. The Trade Union leader criticized the attitude of UT Govt for deliberately delaying the genuine issues of daily wagers. He said the PHE United Front leaders met the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha on Nov 11, 2020 at Raj Bhawan in presence of top BJP leaders. But even after more than two years, a single demand has not been settled till date.
Som Nath alleged that it is shameful on the part of UT Govt that daily wage workers are on agitational path for the last more than seven months but the higher authorities and the BJP ladders are unconcerned about it. The BJP has constituted a five-member committee for solving the issues of daily wagers but it seems totally eyewash. The pending wages of the daily wagers for 70 months is backlog of the BJP-PDP Coalition Government from 2014. The LG Administration is not taking the matter of daily wagers seriously.
He demanded a definite regularization policy of CP/ITI/land case workers, release pending wages of about 65-70 months of the daily rated workers, remove shortage of staff as against the work of 4-5 workers one person is performing duty, conduct DPC of all cadres in the department, repair/ construct duty/pump rooms for field staff, provide proper bathroom facility there, release pending 4 % DA installment of employees and pensioners and enhance their Medical Allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 1000 per month. He also demanded that a holiday be declared on May Day in the JKUT.
Som Nath further demanded that employees working in snow bound areas of Udhampur should be issued warm uniform, charcoal, room heaters as per previous practice. He said old pension scheme should be implemented in favour of UT employees.
Senior members including Vijay Kumar Sharma, Suraj Parkash, Dinesh Kesar, Makhan Chand, Krishan Sharma and others were also present on the occasion.