People's Democracy

J&K CHENAB PROJECT

Jobs for Local People Demanded

ON September 19, the CITU-affiliated Chenab Hydro Power Projects Workers Union held a daylong meeting under the chairmanship of M Y Tarigami, MLA and state president of the CITU, in its office at Gandhinagar in Jammu. State CITU’s working president Javed Zargar, general secretary Om Parkash and treasurer Sham Prasad Kesar also participated in the meeting, besides the office bearers and other members of the union.

While addressing the meeting, Tarigami impressed upon the working class people the need to keep their ranks united in order to fight the economic onslaught of the neo-liberal economic policies being implemented since 1991. He further exhorted upon the workers’ leaders to be pragmatic towards the problems being faced by the labourers in various working places.

Stressing the need of implementation of labour laws and Minimum Wages Act etc, Tarigami said united struggle is the only way to settle the issues of the working class.

Javed Zargar, while addressing the meeting, urged both union and state governments to start the execution work in the already identified hydro power projects on river Chenab, which include those in Pakkal Dule, Rettle, Kiroo, Kawar, Karthai, Pakkal Bursal and Sawla Kote. He further demanded that farmers be adequately compensated for the land acquired from them for construction of the Rettle hydro power project, besides jobs to the affected families.

Om Parkash and Sham Prasad Kesar also demanded that priority be given to local workers in the recruitment in the said hydro projects and in the four-laning work on the National Highway from Jammu to Kashmir.