Danishwar Hameed
Kulgam, December 6, 2024: The Jammu Kashmir Non-Gazetted Electrical Employees Association (JKNGEA), affiliated with the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI), organized a peaceful protest in Kulgam today. The demonstration was in response to the proposed privatization of electricity services in Chandigarh, with employees voicing strong opposition to the move. The protesters raised concerns that privatization could harm workers’ rights and negatively impact public services, urging the government to abandon any plans to privatize the electricity sector.
The protestors also highlighted the issue of daily wage workers in the electricity department, demanding their regularization. The association called for these workers to be granted permanent employment status, citing the precarious nature of their current positions and the lack of job security they face.
A key demand made by the protesters was that the government offer jobs to the next of kin of any daily wage employee who dies while on duty. The protestors expressed disappointment that, despite the sacrifices made by these workers, their families are not provided with support in the event of such tragedies.
The association also appealed to the Superintending Engineer (SE) of Kulgam, requesting that the files of daily wage workers, already submitted to the SE office, be forwarded to the Chief SE office in Srinagar for further processing.
In addition to their demands for job regularization, the protesters called on the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the local government to ensure that daily wage workers receive wages in accordance with the Minimum Wages Act until they are officially regularized. They emphasized that these workers deserve fair and adequate compensation for their labor.
The protest was conducted peacefully, with participants expressing hope that the authorities would take swift action to address their concerns and provide the necessary support to the workers.
