JAMMU: The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) employees have gone on chain-hunger strike from Monday in support of their long pending demands.
The employees and workers of the JDA, who are on strike for the last three day under the banner of JDA Employees Union led by its President, Ashok Singh Jamwal, started chain hunger strike from Friday. They are protesting against the adamant attitude of the higher authorities in JDA and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, for not addressing their pending issues.
Following indifferent and negative response from the higher authorities, they now have went on chain hunger strike.
The union members claimed that if the authorities remained rigid and mum, they will further intensify their agitation and convert the chain hunger strike into indefinite strike and in case of any mis-happening, the JDA higher officials and the minister in-charge will be responsible.
A large number of other employees joined protest which continued throughout the day. President and other senior trade unionists addressed the gathering.
Darbari Lal, Parshotam Lal, Sanjeev Kumar, Dhyan Singh and Ajit Singh sat on chain hunger strike on first day.
These employees are demanding including appointment of beneficiaries of deceased employees of JDA under SRO 43, relaxation in age, qualification in cases of daily wagers, consolidated and Safaikaramcharis, finalisation of the draft recruitment rules of JDA for the promotion/welfare of JDA employees, grade to the helpers who have passed the eligibility test, stopping of encroachment and demarcation of the land transferred to JDA as per the directions of High Court, repatriation of over stayed officials to their parent department, safeguard of newly carved out colonies such as Birpur Housing Colony, Gole Gujral Housing Colony, Roop Nagar Housing Colony, Kot Bhalwal Housing Colony etc.
Meanwhile, JDA Vice Chairman Rajesh Kumar Shavan said, “We are looking into the demands of the protesting employees.”
“Two committees of the senior officers have been constituted for redressal of the demands being made by the JDA employees,” he said.