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Anganwari, PDD workers hold protests, detained

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/6/2013 11:23:53 PM

SRINAGAR, July 6: The casual labourers of Power Development Department (PDD) and Anganwari workers today held separate protest demonstration in support of their demands including release of their pending wages.
Holding banners and placards in their hands, the Anganwadi workers and helpers of the social welfare department and casual labours of PDD staged their separate protest at Sher-i-Kashmir Park.
Both the groups later held a protest march towards press enclaves where PDD causal labours were detained. However, the Anganwari workers held their protest peacefully.
Addressing the Aaganwari workers at the Press Enclave, the union president Naseema Kuchay asked the government to regularize their services and increase monthly honorarium.
They threatened to intensify their agitation if the government fails to fulfill their demands. Later, the agitating workers submitted a memorandum to the commissioner secretary of the department in support of their demands.
Naseema said the higher authorities have released funds for Anganwadi workers and helpers but functionaries in CDPO and District Social Welfare Offices (DSWO) have not paid their wages for past nine months.
“In absence of the wages, the Anganwari workers are facing immense hardships. We lodged complaints with senior officials of the concerned departments but of no avail. We want to maintain that if our pending wages and honorarium is not released, we will start an agitation,” she said
The Anganwadi workers have sought intervention of the district administration in the matter.
The casual labourers of PDD held an unusual protest demonstration here when they removed their shirts and held demonstration in favour of their demands.
The agitated PDD workers accused the state government of failing to fulfill its promises made with them couple of months ago. They were later arrested by police.
The casual labours said despite assurances from the authorities, not a single step was taken to provide any relief to them.
They said the chief minister Omar Abdullah had announced release of Rs 6.50 crore in the beginning of year 2012 and the statement of CM was corroborated and reiterated by MoS Power Shabir Ahmad Khan. “But we have been denied our wages for the last 11 months which has brought great hardships to us,” the protesters said.
They alleged that more than 50 casual labourers have died while performing their duties on the high tension lines. More than that number have suffered permanent injuries and yet the authorities have not paid any heed towards their problems.
“PDD was supposed to publish the list of casual labourers working with it but the executive engineers have not issued any list till date,” they said adding that even the principal secretary had also issued an order directing authorities to publish that list but his orders too were also ignored.
The agitated PDD workers were later taken into custody by police, when they tried to held demonstration on Residency Road.