Regularisation of contractual employees in Jammu and Kashmir as well as anywhere has never been smooth. Marred by political ambitions to unchecked recruitments has not only created problems for the incumbents but for the state governments also. It is unfortunate that contractual employees working had to resort to fast-unto death and suicide to highlight their neglect and hardships. In some of the case like in Reasi last year, five contractual employees allegedly attempted suicide by consuming poison in support of their demand for regularisation of their services. Same is the case with contractual lecturers sit-in dharna continuing in Jammu. Several daily wagers and contractual employees are on protest against the government’s failure to regularise their services after they have completed even the mandatory time period of seven years for their confirmation as regular government employees. It was in April last year, the Minister for Finance, Labour and Employment and Culture, Dr. Haseeb Drabu had said in the Legislative Council, that Government is contemplating to formulate a new recruitment policy that would be comprehensive in nature. The minister himself has accepted that there are over 61,000 Casual/Seasonal labourers, who have been engaged by different departments and the process of regularization of DRWs/Work Charged Employees engaged prior to 31-1-1994 as per SRO-64 of 1994 dated 24-03-1994 is likely to be completed during 2015, subject to furnishing of complete proposals by departments. As regards to contractual/ad-hoc or consolidated employees, the Minister said, that some employees who have yet to complete seven years of service will be regularized after completing the seven years mandatory service, the last employee who has been engaged on 28-04-2010 shall become eligible on 28-04-2017. This is what government’s stand and today casual labourers are resorting to suicide for regularization and for non-implementation financial package sanctioned by the Union Government. It is a piquant situation the Govt. will be facing to solve the regularization puzzle.
