Ganderbal, Mar 17: uScores of casual laborers and daily wagers from the Sindh Forest Division staged a protest outside the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) office in Ganderbal on Monday, demanding the immediate release of their long-pending wages and reinstatement of their services.
The protestors, many of whom have served in the department for over a decade, said their monthly wages have been withheld for nearly two years without any clear explanation. The agitated workers also staged a sit-in inside the DFO office premises, raising slogans and seeking justice for what they called “official apathy.”
Mohd Zaman Mir, one of the protesting daily wagers, said, “How can we feed our families when we haven’t received our wages for such a long time? We’ve given 10 to 20 years of our lives to the Forest Department, and now our services have been terminated without any proper notice or reason.”
According to the workers, there are 256 casual laborers and daily wagers currently associated with the Forest Department in Ganderbal whose services have been discontinued abruptly.
The protestors also recalled that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had promised to address the issues of casual laborers and daily wagers, but despite repeated assurances, no concrete steps have been taken so far.
The protesting workers warned of intensifying their agitation if the government fails to meet their demands.
