For almost two years they have been crying themselves hoarse in order to plead with the government to release their salaries, but on Tuesday, in desperation, scores of Public Health Engineering daily-wagers brought their children along to the centre of the city so that government might be moved by their miserable condition.
The employees told their heart-rending stories to the media persons at the Press Enclaves and many said their children were being forced out from schools because they couldn’t afford to pay tuition fee. Standing with his father, a child held up a placard with the message: “Governor Sahib I don’t have school fee because I am PHE casual labour[er]’s child”. They raised pro-justice slogans.
Aisha, a five year old kid, in school uniform, said that school authorities have asked her to pay tuition fee or not to sit in the annual examination. “I only know that my Dad (father) has not been paid salary by his boss (Government). He goes daily to office and often returns late in evening from his work. He is performing his official duty sincerely, every day. My request to his boss is to please release salary of my Dad so that I can continue my schooling,” she added.
Tabassum, another kid in the school uniform, said that her father had promised to send her on school picnic this year. “When my classmates were depositing Rs 200 as school picnic fee, my father had not a single penny. So, I could not join my classmates. Now, today, he has no money to pay my tuition fee,” she added. The children appealed to the Governor SP Malik to personally intervene in the matter and get the salaries of PHE daily wagers released forthwith.
“We further appeal Governor to direct the authorities to expedite the process for the regularization of services of daily wagers so that we can also live a dignified life,” they added. Authorities have not released monthly wages of the PHE daily-wagers and ITI workers from the past five months, while the wages casual labourers and land owners have been withheld from past 21 months.
Kashmir PHE joint employees’ association president Sajad Ahmad Parray accused the authorities of acting indifferent to their plight. “Our wages have been withheld for past 21 months. We are at the verge of starvation. Our children have been asked at the schools to clear fee or else sit at home,” he added.
Parray said that he was optimistic that the Governor will listen to the pleas of children. “We are hopeful that our withheld salaries will be released forthwith and process for our regularization of services will be expedited,” he added. Kashmir PHE joint employees’ association has said that it would keep PHE offices shut on October 5 and October 6 to press for their demands.