State transport employees in Kashmir have not been paid for four months

Wage-less SRTC employees form human chain

Greater Kashmir Sept 19

FAHEEM ASLAM


Srinagar, Sep 18: Adding novelty to their “anti-government” protests, employees of the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) on Thursday marched on the city streets in the form of a human chain, drawing wide public attraction.
Hundreds of employees tied their hands with each other to form a human chain as a mark of protest against “the government’s failure to fulfill their demands.”
The employees marched along the Residency and Moulana Azad roads in a single row, demanding immediate fulfilment of their demands including release of pending salaries, disbursement of pending instalments of Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) and holding of the departmental promotion committee meetings.
As the employees marched, pedestrians and shoppers watched them keenly.
Many employees, who spoke to Greater Kashmir, said the government must come to their rescue forthwith. “We want the Governor NN Vohra to intervene and let us heave a sigh of relief,” they shouted.
“We and our children have been brought on the verge of starvation due to non-payment of our salaries for the past four months. What shall we eat? Where shall we go? Does the government wants us to beg?” they questioned.
The employees demanded “one-time” settlement. “The government has signed dozens of agreements with us so far, but none of them was implemented in letter and spirit. We want the government to go for a reasonable one-time settlement with us,” said a group of employees, who blamed the SRTC management for the mess.
The JK SRTC Employees Workers Union chairman, Shakeel Ahmad, said the government must act fast and not deprive the employees of their rights. “Why is the government and SRTC management depriving employees of their salary and emoluments?” he said. “We are ourselves fed up with the daily protests, but we are helpless. Our children are suffering for want of school fee. What shall we do?”