J&K govt employees stage protest demanding regularisation of services

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday used water cannons and batons to disperse dozens of government employees who tried to march towards Civil Secretariat here to protest in support of their demand for regularisation of their services.

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday used water cannons and batons to disperse dozens of government employees who tried to march towards Civil Secretariat here to protest in support of their demand for regularisation of their services.

Dozens of daily rate employees working in different departments assembled near Exhibition Crossing and tried to march towards Civil Secretariat, the seat of state government in the summer capital, police officials said.

They said as the protesting employees reached near the gate of the Civil Secretariat, the police asked them to disperse, but they insisted on going ahead with the protest, following which police swung into action and used water cannons and batons.

The employees, under the banner Jammu and Kashmir Left-out Daily Rated Workers Association, had called for a march to the Secretariat in support of their demand for regularisation of daily rated workers.

They said around 1500 daily rated workers were left-out in 2000 when the state government regularised the services of those daily wagers who had worked in different departments for seven years.

The protesting employees had not completed the mandatory seven years then, they said, adding the employees have been demanding their regularisation since the completion of seven years of service.