STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Porters, enrolled by the army during ‘Op Vijay’ in June 1999 and later retrenched in October after four to five months of engagement, staged protest here on Sunday demanding employment from Central Government and the army.
The ex-porters from far flung areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua and Pathankot assembled at exhibition ground near Press Club to express their resentment against the government apathy for having used them when needed most and later ignoring their repeated representations.
Members of J and K Army Porters Union said that during Kargil war army appointed over 5000 people from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to help them (army).
“We were very young when army appointed us on the promise of providing regular jobs,” they said, adding that after war they were disengaged and ordered to go back to the respective native places with certificates and verbal assurance of giving preference in army recruitment and other government jobs. “We feel proud to be a part of the war winning troops and don’t want conflict with the defence forces, but if our genuine demands are not met we will take extreme step to show government the consequences of ignoring patriotic youth” they threatened.