Srinagar, Feb 09 (KNO): Anger among Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) employees deepened on Monday as hundreds of sanitation and field workers staged fresh protests over non-payment of salaries, accusing the department of ignoring their repeated pleas.
Gathered for the fifth consecutive day at the Corporation headquarters in Karan Nagar, the protesting employees demanded immediate release of their pending wages and called for accountability over alleged financial mismanagement within the SMC.
“We have been working without salaries for months. Many of us are surviving on credit,” said one aggrieved employee, speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). “Our families are suffering while the administration looks the other way.”
Protesters said that instead of addressing their financial distress, officials have spent money on publicity campaigns and hoardings showcasing civic achievements.
The union leaders, including SMC Employees Association President Nazir Ahmad Ahanger and Workers Union head Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh, warned that the agitation will escalate if dues are not cleared immediately.
“The delay is unacceptable. We will not resume normal work unless our salaries are released. This protest will expand to all wards of Srinagar if the administration remains silent,” Ahanger told the gathering.
The employees have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration to personally intervene and ensure timely wage disbursement and policy clarity for the long-pending regularisation of daily wagers.
Last week, a similar protest had erupted at the SMC headquarters, with workers warning of an indefinite strike if their demands continued to be ignored. With today’s demonstration, the agitation has entered its fifth straight day—(KNO)