Dozens of ‘Permanent Daily Labourers’ [PDL] working in the Power Development Department in Kashmir Valley Friday alleged that they have been posted in far off Sub-Divisions as a result they face a lot of problems.
At least 31 PDL posted in Kunzar falling under Sub-Division Tangmarg have been asked to join field duties in Baramulla and Kupwara Sub-Divisions. “We hail from different areas of sub-division Tangmarg but are posted in far-off places. Whatever we earn gets lost in bus fare. This is injustice towards us,” they said.
These daily rated employees manage maintenance work in the field and get Rs 9,000 per month.
They alleged that those workers close to the officers were not transferred. “There is an officer who runs and hotel where several daily rated workers work as waiters but draw salaries from the department. This officer didn’t transfer them but targeted only us,” they said.
The officer in question said that it was Superintending Engineer who issued this order and he has nothing to do with it.
When contacted SE Sub-Division Sopore Mumtaz Ahmed told news agency Kashmir News Trust that these ‘Permanent Daily Labourers’ were shifted from one place to another to meet the requirement. “We assign jobs to these workers as per the need and shift them as is the requirement,” he said.
In response to allegations that some PDL work as waiters in a hotel owned by an officer, Mumtaz Ahmed said that those who claim such a thing is happening should forward the names of those workers so that they can be posted somewhere else. (KNT)