Tahir Hussain Mir,
Bandipora, January 23: The employees of the State Forest Department has called for an indefinite strike in all the three divisions of the state until their promised demands by Government are not met.
The JK forest employees are protesting to meet their demands of time bound promotion for lower forest officials, issuance of risk allowance, extra monthly two and half day salary and regularisation policy of daily wagers and casual labors which the Government has promised them, according to the employees, when they were on strike last year also.
Hundreds of the forest officials gathered at their respective forest sub division offices to press for their genuine demands.
The same protests were witnessed in Forest Sub-Division Bandipora where hundreds of forest employees chanted slogans demanding justice.
While talking to Kashmir Convener, the Division President of forest division Bandipora Abdul Makers Dar said, "On September 18, 2018,a written agreement was signed between the All J&K Non-Gazetted Forest Officers Association and Government where we were assured that our genuine demands will be addressed within twenty days where Principal Chief Conservator Forests, Chief Conservators and other higher Government authorities were present, but nothing has been done by the Government so far”. “Those employees who entered the department before three decades as class IV employees retired from the department as same as there is no time bound promotion policy in our department. From last twenty years our department lost 120 men in the line of duty but no ex-gratia is given to us which is injustice when all other departments receive ex-gratia,” He added.
He said they work round the clock even on holidays but we don't receive extra two and half day salary, risk allowances which is the right of an employee. “when all departments are at home during Eid, Holy, Diwali, our men still remain in forests to give their duty, as any damage to forest property even in holidays has to be paid by the concerned forest offical himself”.
The daily wagers and the casual laborers are also leaving the department as there is no regularisation policy for them, said another forest employee Danish Ahmad Hakeem.
The forest employees appealed Governor Sayapal Malik to listen to their genuine demands and sort them immediately as they are suffering badly.
