Srinagar, Jan 16: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation employees on Saturday announced to go on indefinite strike from Monday till their “long pending demand of re-organization” is met.
 “All our operations be it checking Khilafwarzi menace or sanitation, which is the backbone of the corporation will be suspended till the reorganization is implemented,” the Srinagar Municipal Employees Coordination Committee, Head, Haji Bashir announced at the corporate headquarters at Karan Nagar adding all the 4000 odd employees would go on the strike.
 Haji said the implementation of the ‘reorganization” was pending since 2005.

THE REORGANIZATION PROPOSAL
 As per the re-organization, the SMC comprising of 34 Administrative Wards, has to be divided into four zones, each to be headed by an Assistant Commissioner.
 Besides, the number of Ward Officers and other staff has to be accordingly increased.
 Presently, as per Haji, a Ward Officer has to look after some eight square kilometre area, which was “too big to be taken care of single handed.”
 “He (Ward Officer) is responsible for various issues like sanitation, checking of illegal constructions, monitoring of births and deaths, but presently he can’t do justice with such a large area and multi-facial job,” Haji said.
 Referring to the action taken by the government against municipal employees in the recent past for “failure in duty”, Haji said the employees were being unnecessarily victimized. “In fact they are overburdened,” he added.

THE PAST PROMISES
 The municipal union President said they many a time apprized the government about the issue but to no avail.
 “We even called on the Chief Minister and he said the problem would be addressed but till now results are awaited.”
 “Even though of late the government has approved the reorganization proposal, they haven’t implemented it,” the president added.
 He hailed the City Mayor, Salman Ali Sagar and MoS Housing, Nasir Sogami for “showing keen interest in getting the reorganization proposal approved.”
 “But the fact remains that the implementation is awaited.”

THE ‘RELAXATION’
 The municipal employees said they were giving “relaxation” to the government on the financial front.
 “We are ready to work on in-charge basis till the finance department gives requisite clearance,” Haji said.

PUBLIC BENEFITS
 The SMC employees said the reorganization wasn’t their personal issue but in the public interest as well.
 “Presently anyone from within the 300 Sq KM municipal limits having work in the SMC has to necessarily visit the congested SMC headquarters here. This is inconvenient for the visitors for obvious reasons,” Haji said.
 After the establishment of offices in North, South, East and West of the City, the visitors are expected to visit the concerned zonal offices.
 To a question that the strike would put people to inconvenience, he said:   “This temporary inconvenience will ultimately give lifetime benefits to the people.”

‘JAMMU BUNGLING’
 The Municipal employees alleged that the Engineering Wing of the corporation was accorded “out of the way sanction to new grades”.
 “By greasing palms of some in Jammu they managed getting the new grades implemented while as the genuine stakeholders who work in the field were sidelined,” Haji alleged.

‘TOOTHLESS SMC’
 The coordination committee head said the corporation including the Mayor and other corparators couldn’t work efficiently unless the reorganization is implemented.
 “Reorganization will make the basis for the other pending issue of devolution of power aimed to strengthen the corporation on local-self-governance basis.”
 Referring to the “NC loyal” Mayor, he said “though Salman always speaks high of the present government, the fact remains that it has yet not implemented the reorganization proposal aimed to help the SMC, people alike.”

Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST