Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 7: Police today foiled the protest rally of employees of National Health Mission (NHM) towards civil secretariat by restricting their forward movement at Lower Gumat.
Thousands of NHM employees drawn from various parts of Jammu who are already observing 72-hour pen down strike to press for their demands today gathered in front of Press Club Jammu under the banner of All J&K NHM Employees’ Association (NHMEA) and in the form of a rally headed towards civil secretariat.
Heavy deployment of police at Dogra Chowk also failed to stop them from heading towards and raising slogans in support of their demands while carrying placards in their hands, the NHM employees reached at Lower Gumat Chowk but from there they could move back due to excessive deployment of police.
While addressing the protesting employees near Press Club, Rohit Seth, president, NHMEA, said that thousands of NHM employees have been working in the Health Department for last ten years on contract basis and providing 24 hours health services at different health institutions and many of them have crossed their age limit to be eligible for PSC, SSRB or any other competitive exam but Government has not taken even a single step to secure their jobs.
He said that till their genuine demands which include framing regularization policy for NHM employees under SRO 255, provision of equal pay for equal work and provision of social security/risk allowance as well as transfer policy, are accepted they will continue their fight.
Rohit Seth also condemned police latthi charge and use of tear gas on NHM employees at Srinagar and added that use of force by police could not demoralize the employees and they are all united to get their rights.
Meanwhile, hundreds of NHM employees of Rajouri today staged a sit-in protest at Chief Medical Officer’s office in Rajouri demanding regularization of their services, equal pay for equal work, SRO 255 and other social benefits.
Protesting employees asserted that they have been approaching the State Government and the concerned departments from the last five years seeking a policy for their regularization but unfortunately nobody paid any heed towards their demands.
“Some of us have given 10 years of service on contractual basis but Government is yet to be decisive about their future and it speaks volumes about the step motherly treatment of the State Government with us”, said Mohd Afzal ul Haq, president, NHMEA Rajouri.
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