J-K govt employees, police clash in Srinagar

Hundreds of government employees today made an abortive attempt to 'gherao' civil secretariat here to protest the alleged failure of the government to fulfil their demands including enhancement of retirement age to 60 years.
Over 100 employees were taken into preventive custody as police used batons and water canons to foil their attempt to 'gherao' the civil secretariat- the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government, officials said.
The employees, who had struck work in response to the call given by Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) for the day, assembled Sher-e-Kashmir Park here and tried to march towards the Secretariat, they said.

However, their attempt was scuttled by police personnel who have been deployed in strength in the area, the officials said adding scores of protesting employees including chairman of a faction of Employees Joint Action committee Abdul Qayoom Wani and JCC spokesman Farooq Ahmad Trali were also taken into preventive custody.
Meanwhile, government employees in Jammu region also began a three-day strike by observing a complete shut down and held a protest in front of the office of the Divisional Commissioner.
"We demand immediate implementation of the agreement signed between the state government and the employees on September 15, 2011. Two years have passed but the government has not met our demands," JCC leader Mohammad Gafoor Dar said.

Condemning the delaying policy of the government, he said, "Further delay in implementing the agreement would compel JCC to launch decisive agitation for the demands."
The JCC, a conglomerate of various government employees' bodies and associations, has been demanding enhancement in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularisation for the daily-rated workers, casual labourers and need-based workers engaged after 1994, removal of pay anomaly of clerical cadre (pre-revised Rs 6500-10500) and budgetary support for public sector.
Flaying the government for 'back-tracking' on the agreement reached with JCC, Wani had announced a three-day protest from September 9 to 11 to press for their demands.