Jammu Dec 31: Senior National Conference leader and former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra on Saturday urged the JK Government to allow the PM Package and Jammu based employees in Kashmir to work from home till the situation becomes conducive for them to resume offline duties.
The former minister expressed anguish and deep concern over unabated target killings in the Valley and urged the government to find solution to their genuine problems.
“Covid Pandemic is a living example of work from home culture and this mechanism can be adopted for the vulnerable sections of the government employees in Kashmir”.
He said the innocent employees cannot be made fodder of the egoistic government, leaders and the administrators, who have failed to instill a sense of confidence among them in the wake of one after another unfortunate and barbaric killings in the Valley.
“The desperate employees are protesting for months in support of their legitimate demands but nobody seems to be serious enough in addressing these,” he said. “This is unethical and insensitive on the part of the government, which should have come up with a pragmatic road map to the malady after taking into confidence the stakeholders”.
While referring to the recent high level meeting held in New Delhi regarding the Kashmir situation, Sadhotra expressed dismay that the issue of the PM Package and Jammu based reserved category employees did not even come up for discussion. “This is unfortunate that the apex forum did not find it appropriate even to consider the demands of those who have been hitting streets in chilly cold after soaring summers”.
He cautioned the Centre and the UT government about the pitiable condition of thousands of families suffering due to mental agony.
Due to failure in providing them safety and sense of security, the administration has made both the Kashmiri Pandit and Scheduled Caste category employees and their families vulnerable besides pushing them to psychological distress, he said.
Sadhotra also sought release of withheld salaries immediately and not exert any pressure on them for resuming their duties, as ‘work from home’ should be a guiding factor for the government to resolve the issue till the situation becomes conducive in the Valley.
