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Sanitation workers in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district launched a protest on Thursday, demanding the regularisation of their services, better wages, and basic employment benefits.
The strike, led by members of the Chenab Valley Safai Karamchari Union, has disrupted sanitation services and raised concerns about public health and hygiene. Protesters said they were forced to intensify their agitation after years of unfulfilled promises from successive administrations. Irshad Ahmad, Chairman of the Chenab Valley Sanitation Workers and Union President of the Doda Committee, said workers had been protesting for more than a decade without any resolution to their demands. "We have been staging such strikes continuously since 2014. At every turn, we are merely being handed a 'lollipop', given false assurances. Time has simply slipped away. It is now 2026, yet our demands have still not been fulfilled by the authorities," Ahmad told ANI. He said sanitation workers had previously travelled to Srinagar and met senior officials, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, but claimed that assurances of regularisation never materialised. "We were left with no other choice; we were compelled to take to the streets. I appeal to CM Omar Abdullah and request him to resolve our issue as soon as possible," Ahmad added. Echoing similar concerns, sanitation worker Azad Hussain warned that the prolonged neglect of workers' demands had pushed them into desperation. "We do not want the city to be dirty or for diseases to spread, but this is our helplessness. Our problem has been ongoing for years. We never get a proper assurance; they just give one assurance after another, but nothing has happened on the ground level yet," Hussain said. He highlighted the financial struggles faced by sanitation workers, many of whom earn around Rs 9,000 per month despite years of service. "Our only demand is regularisation. Some workers have served for 20 years, while others have retired or even passed away without seeing their issues resolved. With our current salary, we cannot even meet our household expenses," Hussain said. The union has also demanded an end to the contract-based GeM portal system, alleging delays in salary payments and prolonged periods of unpaid work. Workers warned that the agitation could intensify if their demands remain unresolved. (ANI)
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