Demand investigation, claim threatened of disengagement
Aadil Abdullah
Casual labourers of Forest department division Bandipora are continuously protesting day and night for last several days, demanding the release of their long-overdue and full annual wages.
At least 45 Forest department casual labourers of division Bandipora protesters have pitched a tent outside the DFO office in Bandipora where they are also observing a hunger strike.
The casual labourers raised slogans against the department.
They alleged that blue-eyed casual labourers are paid full wages and rest are not paid full wages.They demanded equal wages for every casual labourer.
The labourers have been engaged by the department from time to time spanning at least fifteen years.
The protesting labourers said that apart from delayed wages, the department pays them just three to four months’ salary annually.
The striking labourers alleged bugling in the division and stated that their demands are falling on deaf ears.
The labourers even alleged that for demanding their rights they are being threatened with disengagement.
They said their families are struggling and have been rendered incapable to provide them hand-to-mouth. The labourers threatened to extend the strike till demands are met and also appealed to the LG administration to look into the matter and investigate it properly.
“They say to us that the salary of 11 labourers is released which they divided among 45 of us. But it is the department who had engaged us and they should provide full wages to all,” “Nisar Ahmed Presidentent of the association said’.
He added that due to delay in the release of salary we are facing financial problems. We have been working sincerely but ironically our wages are pending for several months.
“We have been requesting officials to release our wages so that we don’t have to suffer. None of the officials have come to us since these days to address our demands. We are doing a protest in a peaceful manner, and we hope that we are not pushed to take extreme steps and hit roads,” said another casual labourer.
They alleged that due to non-release of their wages, their families are facing starvation.“It has become difficult for us to fulfill our day to day needs. We urgently want the authorities to notice our plight,”.
They said that we are not going to be intimidated by the threats and seek justice form the higher offices in the administration.
They appealed to higher authorities from the department to intervene in the matter and address their issue as soon as possible so that they will not suffer more.
When the news agency kashmir scroll- tried to reach the DFO Bandipora for his comments over the issue, he wasn’t available for comments.
