*Water supply to VIPs suspended
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 10: The police today foiled a massive protest march by hundreds of daily wage workers of the Jal Shakti/PHE Department towards Civil Secretariat here, demanding the regularisation of their services and the release of pending wages.
The PHE workers claimed to have stopped the water supply to several VIP areas in Jammu city, including the residences of Chief Minister and PHE Minister on Wazarat Road.
The PHE Employees United Front, Jammu, had planned to conduct `Gherao’ of the Civil Secretariat at Jammu today. As a part of their intensified agitation, a large number of PHE daily rated workers from various districts and tehsils of Jammu region assembled at PHE Complex BC Road Jammu at around 11 am and after holding protest there for some time, started massive protest march towards Civil Secretariat.
Amid slogans of “We want justice”, hundreds of workers when reached near MLA Hostel, a strong contingent of police and CRPF raised barricades and barbed wire on the road to foil their march towards Secretariat. As the police foiled their march, the protesters then sat on a dharna for some time, seeking the presence of the Chief Minister and ministers concerned to assure them of action.
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“We are demanding a clear policy on regularisation, implementation of the Minimum Wages Act, and release of pending wages. We have been protesting for years, yet our issues remain unresolved,” Ravi Hans leader of the PHE Employees United Front said.
He alleged that successive governments had exploited daily wagers. “Essential services, whether in normal times or during crises, run because of daily wagers, but it is these workers who are always denied justice,” he told reporters.
He recalled that during the previous Assembly session, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the formation of a committee to examine the regularisation demands. The committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, was to submit its report within six months, by September 19, but the workers say they have no information regarding its status.
There are an estimated 67,000 daily wage workers across various government departments in Jammu and Kashmir.
After holding protest near MLA Hostel for some time, they moved towards Dogra Chowk and held protest on the road for a few hours. Several leaders of the Front also addressed gathering there. The movement of vehicles was disrupted for long and massive traffic jams were created on the old city routes. Then they moved towards Samadhian PHE station and sat on protest dharna till evening.
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