Kashmir to face water scarcity as PHE employees plan two-day strike

Srinagar: The tussle between casual labourers and daily wagers and government in Kashmir is all set to send the public in Kashmir valley in a tizzy as the employees will begin a 48-hour-long strike from Monday.

According to Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the daily wagers, casual labourers and others, under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Casual Labourers Forum, have decided to begin 48-hour-long strike from Monday.

Sajad Ahmad Parray, president of the forum, said that the government has forced them to take this extreme step.

“We are fighting for our rights from last several decades and will continue till our goal is achieved,” he added.

He said the strike has been called to show the government that the employees who have been pushed to the wall since long are working with honesty and dedication.

Parray also appealed to the employees not to attend their respective offices from tomorrow till next 48 hours to press for their demands.

He said the employees from Jammu province are on strike from last 30 days and now the government has forced employees of Kashmir division to begin a similar protest strike.

Sources said that many PHE offices are deserted as all the employees who are part of the strike and were stationed at these offices have left. They added that the water supply will also get affected from Monday morning as the department would not be able to supply the water for the next 48 hours from tomorrow.

Locals fear the strike will add to their miseries. A resident from Old City area of Srinagar told KNO that they are already facing water scarcity for a long now and the new decision of employees to go for a strike will further push them to face hardships.

Meanwhile, Chief Engineer PHE Iftikhar Wani told KNO that the strike by the employees will affect the water supply a bit but the employees of the department who are deputed on the plants will perform their duties to ensure that water supply is provided to the consumers. KNO