STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Employees of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Jammu Province, staged a protest on Wednesday at the Old Chief Engineer’s Office on BC Road, expressing strong dissatisfaction over the government’s alleged failure to fulfill long-standing commitments.
Raising slogans and holding placards, the protesters accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of adopting a non-serious approach toward addressing their concerns during the ongoing budget session. They highlighted that several long-pending demands of PHE employees, particularly those related to daily wagers and other categories of staff, remain unresolved despite repeated assurances.
Leaders of the PHE Employees United Front stated that the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, had last year assured the formation of a committee to examine the issues concerning daily wagers and other categories of workers. However, the protesters alleged that no substantial steps have been taken to implement these promises.
The United Front demanded the immediate regularization of services and guaranteed job security for employees who have been serving in the department for several years. They emphasized that the workforce is critical to ensuring smooth delivery of essential water and sanitation services, and continued neglect of their grievances hampers the department’s functioning.
The demonstrators warned that if their demands are not addressed promptly, they would escalate their agitation in the coming days. The protest concluded with the leaders urging the government to honor its commitments and implement time-bound measures to resolve the pending issues, calling for a collaborative approach to safeguard employee rights while ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
The protest witnessed participation from a large number of PHE employees, who highlighted the urgent need for administrative reforms and a fair policy to address long-standing grievances. The United Front assured that the movement will continue until satisfactory action is taken by the government to address the employees’ demands.
