Employees of Power Development Department on Saturday protested on second consecutive day at Srinagar and other district headquarters over their long pending service demands.
The employees of the department told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that both permanent and temporary employees of the department have been pressing in favour of their demands but nothing is being done so far.
They said that their salaries aren’t coming in time and are coming through grants in aid not through treasury.
“We have been demanding salaries through the finance department so that we too can draw salaries from treasuries like other employees,” they said.
Mohammad Ayoub Pandit, one of the employees said that they have been demanding the de-linking of the salary of those on deputation to the existing corporation from grant in aid and release of regular budget as that of similar class of other government employees working in other departments.
The employees also demanded the regularization of all PDL, TDL workers in one go by way of the creation of class 4 posts.
“The cases of GP Fund are still pending in respective treasuries from the last six months with the result that employees are suffering badly,” they said.
The employees also demanded a rehabilitation policy by compassionate appointment to the next of kin of the deceased.
They also demanded the release of deputation allowance to PDD employees who are working in existing corporations at par with UT Ladakh employees.
Since 2019, we have been working in a corporation but there is no name of deputation allowances, they said.
They said that even families of daily wagers who have died in line of duty have to wait for years together for ex-gratia relief and other benefits.
They added that despite that the government is well aware about our plights but no steps are being taken in this regard forcing us to go for strikes frequently.
They requested LG Manoj Sinha to look into the matter personally on humanitarian grounds—(KNO)