Srinagar, 13 August (H.S.): The employees of the Jal Shakti Department today held a protest, seeking the immediate and full implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment in the Kashmir division.
The protesters – who gathered under the banner of the Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association – said they are demanding the implementation of a long-pending constitutional mandate.
They alleged that it has been “selectively” implemented in the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370.
Speaking with reporters on the occasion, Sajad Parray, Chairman of the Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association and General Secretary of the EIAC, alleged that the Chief Engineer, PHE Kashmir, along with some officers, is “deliberately defying” both Government orders and court directions by withholding the transfer of sub-divisions.
He further accused them of misleading the Administrative Secretariat with “false information” and “concealing ground realities,” thereby undermining the constitutional mandate.
The protesters said, while all five PHE divisions and sub-divisions in Jammu have been placed under the control of municipal bodies as per the Amendment, only one out of five divisions and sub-divisions in Kashmir has been transferred to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The remaining four, the protesters said, continue under the control of the PHE Department, which, they said, is leading to administrative confusion, disruption of public services, and delays in the execution of government programmes.
They urged the Union Home Minister, the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, and the Chief Minister to honour the commitment without delay.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar