Don't hamper essential supplies - Govt must lend ear to striking Jal Shakti employees: Raman Suri

Don't hamper essential supplies - Govt must lend ear to striking Jal Shakti employees: Raman Suri 

JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri, while expressing his grave concern over the strike by Jal Shakti employees wherein people are not getting potable water, said that this course of action is uncalled for as water supply comes under essential services. He urged the striking employees to resume their work, release water, and at the same time keep negotiating with the authorities for getting their demands addressed. 

In his statement issued here, Raman Suri urged the Government, especially Jal Shakti officials, to talk to the striking employees, listen to their grievances and restore normal water supply to facilitate the common people who are finding it hard to arrange potable water and do their household chores. People, he said, are finding it difficult to arrange water and many are even heading towards water bodies for their daily needs. 

Urging the employees to find another way of putting forth their demands and not blocking water supply to localities, Raman Suri asked the government to conduct a complete audit of all daily wagers, casual and contractual employees of Jal Shakti department and shunt out those who are running their parallel business or not working properly but also listen to the demands of genuine employees, who have actually been working for the past several years, some even for the past two decades.  

Raman Suri said, a large number of employees of the Jal Shakti Department, who had actually been running the water supply schemes deserve regularisation or enhanced perks but those who are liability on the department must be identified and asked to put down their papers so that the state exchequer is not burdened. 

He urged the government to not defer the issue or create a stalemate but talk to the striking employees and get their issues sorted out. There is no denying of the fact that at several places more than the required number of employees are working and the same must be rationalised, and by all means the hard working employees must be made to return to their work for restoration of water supply schemes.