Opposing fresh recruitment, employees in J&K seek regular jobs

Srinagar, May 22

Scores of people employed under the ‘Rehbar-e-Khel’ and ‘Rehbar-e-Janglat’ scheme today held a protest here, demanding revocation of J&K government’s decision to re-advertise the posts they had been working on.

The government had on Friday re-advertised ‘Rehbar-e-Janglat’, ‘Rehbar-e-Zirat’ and ‘Rehbar-e-Khel’ posts through the Service Selection Board. It said additional weightage and age relaxation would be given to those already working on these posts. However, scores of those employed under the schemes turned up at the Press Enclave here and held a massive protest demanding the rollback of the order.

“We the Rehbar-e-Khel teachers are protesting here because the government has ordered re-advertisement of the posts we are working on. The government has gone back on its own order which had said that our services would be made permanent after seven years,” one of the protesting employees said.

She said the protesters wanted the government to revoke the order. “Whatever work they wanted us to do, we did. We rendered our services even during Covid. Now, they are backstabbing us. We will stay put here and sacrifice our lives if they do not rollback the order,” said another protester. The employees said their services were about to be achieve permanency after seven years in August this year, but “unfortunately, two months before that, our services were terminated and the posts were re-advertised.”

“We want the revocation of the order so that justice is done to us and our families,” said a protester.

Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also demanded a rollback of the order, saying re-advertising the posts was a “malicious move” initiated to facilitate non-residents’ entry. The decision should be withdrawn immediately, Mehbooba tweeted. — PTI

‘Unkept promise’

Protesters say the government had promised to regularise their jobs after seven years, but it re-advertised the posts two months before they are to complete seven years.