NPP holds protest against Tourism Department

EARTH NEWS SERVICE |Jammu, Jan 18 |16: Flaying the harassment doled out to the youth in the sphere of employment by the State Government, a contingent of Panthers Party activists led by Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP and Yashpal Kundal State president Young Panthers along with other leaders staged a massive protest demonstration against Tourism Deptt seeking release of long pending wages and regularization of services of DRWs, Need based workers and Casual labourers working in Tourism Development Authorities (TDAs) at Exhibition Ground Jammu on Monday. Lambasting the Tourism Department for its nonchalant attitude towards the DRW’s, Need based workers and Casual labourers working in various Tourism Development Authorities in the State, Harsh Dev Singh revealed that the Department of Tourism, J&K being the main developmental, promotional and regulatory arm of the J&K Government had set up Tourism Development Authorities to speed-up infrastructure development in selected tourist resorts Surinsar, Mansar, Patnitop, Parmandal, Utterbehni, Sarthal, Rajouri, Poonch, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, etc. He regretted that these Authorities had employed thousands of DRWs(Daily Rated Workers), Need based workers and Casual labourers all across State who were forced to work like bonded labourers without paying their meager wages for the last 20-22 months. Regretting the pitiable plight of such employees rendering their services for more than 8-10 years in the aforesaid Tourism Development Authorities, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh vociferously demanded immediate release of long pending wages in their favour besides regularization of their services. He said that their families had been pushed to starvation and other miseries which was the worst kind of exploitation akin to the human rights violations. Singh pointed out that there had been consistent influx of Domestic and foreign tourists in the State but wondered that how could Tourism deptt. despite earning revenue from Accommodation, Food & Beverages, Recreation and other tourism related activities could divest these lower rung employees of their wages for such a long time.