Demanding release of withheld wages, scores of causallabourers engaged by Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) held a strongprotest here on Thursday.
The causal labourers–both male and female–assembled at thelawns of Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) Sarna here under the banner of BDACasual Labourers Union and Chenab Valley Workers Union (CVWU), demandingrelease of their wages, allegedly not paid for the last 28 months. They accusedChief Executive Officer BDA of ignoring their plight.
Protestors while raising slogans against the authoritiesespecially CEO Dr Rajinder Prasad Khajuria for allegedly making false promises,demanded release of their pending wages at the earliest.
“We have not been paid since March 2017. We have beendelivering our official duties with sincerity and honesty. Due to withholdingof wages, the education of our wards has immensely suffered as we can’t paytheir school fee,” said Mohammad Hafeez, President of the union.
He added that the some of the casual labourers have stoppedsending their wards to schools as they were unable to pay monthly tuition fee.
The protesting labourers said that they have taken up theirgrievance with concerned authorities time and again but their pleas had fallenon deaf ears.
“Whenever we demand our hard earned wages, CEO disownsus saying that we are not even registered casual labourers. We have been pushedto the wall by his authoritarian attitude and compelled to start strike, whichwill continue till our wages are not paid,” said Mohammad Ashraf, anothercasual labourer.
Meanwhile, President CVWU Tariq Zargar also joined theprotesting labourers and said that they have extended their support to the poorlabourers and will fight tooth and nail for their cause.
Tariq Zargar appealed to the Governor Satya Pal Malik tointervene personally and direct concerned authorities to release all theirpending wages forthwith.