Release pending wages of daily wagers & bring back stranded labourers back to UT
Jammu, May 29/ VOK Web Desk : Former Minister and Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), Ghulam Mohammed Saroori today appealed Lt Governor Girish Chander Murmu to give compensation to the farmers, industrial workers, labourers, shopkeepers, and traders who have suffered badly in the ongoing lockdown across the Jammu and Kashmir.
In a press statement, Saroori said that during the ongoing lockdown in the Jammu and Kashmir people have been rendered jobless. “A fixed amount of Rs 10000 to Rs 7500 should be given as compensation to the labourers, industrial workers, workers of unorganized sector, small scale industries for six months so that they can be supported during hard days,” Saroori demanded.
In a video message, Saroori also expressed sympathy with the labourers who died while heading for their respective homes across the country. As a part of ‘speak-up India’, the senior Congress leader hailed the leadership of AICC President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Ghulam Nabi Azad who have highlighted the plight of the workers and poor downtrodden section of society.
Saroori said that large numbers of labourers have been working in different states and Union Territories of the country and they have been stranded since the announcement of covid lockdown. “People in lakhs suffered whereas quarantine centres where large numbers of people have been assembled lack proper facilities,” he alleged citing several complaints made to him by the people. He said that “The J&K’s labourers should stranded outside the UT and they should be shifted back to their respective districts without charging them the fare.”
Highlighting financial condition of stranded people, Saroori said that a local contractor Javed Ahmed from resident of Bhalessa (Doda) remained stranded at Gawhati alongwith 560 labourers from various districts. This contractor had to hire buses out of his pocket without help from the Government, he alleged, adding claimed that the contractor spent lakhs. Though majority of the stranded labourers have been shifted back to their home towns, he said, around 30 labourers are still stranded there. He claimed that around 1500 to 2000 labourers from Chenab Valley are still stranded in different states of the country and they should be brought back.
Referring to the electricity bills, he demanded that the government should adopt humanitarian approach while dealing with the present covid crises. “The electricity bills and interest on KCC loans should not be charged from the poor marginalized section of the society and labourers as they have remained without work from last over two months,” he said. “Congress has played positive role and transported many to their states and UTs across the country. But, Government should play its role so that the distressed people can be reunited with their families,” he said.
The issues not only being faced by the labourers or workers of unorganized sectors, but the wages of daily rated workers, need based workers, workers engaged in National Health Mission, ASHA workers, CP workers, cooks and other lower level workers have also not been released. “The Government must release their salaries regularly so that they can feed their families,” he said, adding that the MGNREGA workers should be given complete 200 days work instead of 50 days, which is against the basic soul of the scheme which was launched for the poor farmers, and labourers,” he said.
Saroori said that the liability of the contractors worked in different departments is also pending. “The Government has not released their pending dues which have caused hindrance in furthering developmental activities because they were not able to pay the labourers,” said Saroori. He said that he demanded that the doctors engaged in various hospitals should be provided with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits, and N95 masks so that they do not get infected with the covid19 virus.
At the same time, he claimed that the hospitals and Primary Health Centres should be provided proper medicine supplies because there is deficiency of the medicines in many health institutions. “The Government should make all out efforts to fill up vacant posts of doctors wherever they are vacant,” he demanded.
