Panchayat Maali-cum-Chowkidar Association stages protest in Kupwara over pending wages

Kupwara, Jun 3: The members of the Panchayat Maali-cum-Chowkidar Association Tuesday staged a protest in Kupwara to press for their demands.

Raising slogans and displaying placards highlighting their demands, the protestors gathered at the district headquarters.

ìWe have been serving as Maali-cum-Chowkidar at different Panchayats on a meagre salary of Rs 1000 per month and in 2010 an order was passed by the higher officials of the Rural Development Department (RDD) wherein it was decided to enhance our monthly salary to Rs 4500 but that announcement remained confined to papers only and was never implemented, causing enduring hardships for us,î said a protestor.

ìWe have given our youth to the department but in return were always exploited. Several among us died and several superannuated from the department with nothing in hand. I want to ask the concerned officials what our fault is and why we are being deprived of our rights,î he said.

The protesters demanded disbursement of their wages according to the Minimum Wages Act.

They warned that if their demands were not fulfilled, they would allow no one to enter Panchayat houses.

The protesters also expressed frustration over the delay in salary disbursement, saying that many workers had been waiting for months without payment.

ìOur services are crucial for the upkeep and functioning of panchayats, yet our pleas for rightful dues have gone unheard,î said a female protestor.

The association appealed to the concerned authorities to take immediate action and ensure the release of pending wages, emphasising the financial hardships faced by the workers.

The protest concluded peacefully, with the association warning of intensified demonstrations if their demands were not fulfilled immediately.