Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 1: Asking the State Government to regularize the Rehbar-e-Ziraats, who have completed seven years of continuous service in one go, the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Technocrats Association has threatened State wide protest demonstrations if the demand is not conceded.
“Govt is neither considering year of passing nor one time absorption as regularization policy for Rehbar-e-Ziraat, who are serving the Department of Agriculture for the last seven years,” said Dr Surinder Radotra, president of JKATA while addressing a press conference, here today.
He alleged that the Government was creating confusion on Rehbar policy regularization and treating them adhoc and contractual employees. Under Rehbar policy, regularization is made on completion of five years whereas the Government is not taking any decision on the ReZ, who are serving in the department for the last more than 7 years and are still waiting for their regularization, Mr Radotra lamented.
“Rehbar-e-Ziraats are performing all day to day Panchayat activities such as making Kissan Credit Cards, promoting cropping system, awareness on Centrally sponsored schemes, mushroom development, survey of Panchayat halqa etc. but till date their future is lying in dark as Government is treating them as bonded labourers,” the JKATA president said.
Expressing anguish on alleged negligent attitude of the State Government towards regularization of Rehbar-e-Ziraat, JKATA provincial president Vinod Sharma alleged that only verbal assurance were being made for the amendment of Cabinet decisions. He stressed that the regularization must be batch wise to ensure that overage Rehbar-e-Ziraats may not suffer.
The JKATA leaders warned to resume their strike if the Government does not amend the Cabinet decision immediately in the favour of Rehber-e-Ziraat for their batch wise regularization. “Series of protests will be organized throughout the State and the Government will be responsible for the same,” said Dr Radotra and reminded that the National Conference had promised regularization of ReZ even in its election manifesto (Vision Document 2008).
JKATA vice-president Maneet Singh, general secretary Dr Rajiv Singh Chib and district presidents Dr Joginder Singh, Shakeel Qazi, Sumeet Dutta, Mehboob Ali Malik, Shuhail Aniz, Anil Gupta, Sanjay Puri, Dr Imram Ahmed, Dr Sikander Singh and Dr Abhimanyu Mahajan were also present in the press conference.