Srinagar, Sep 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Casual/Daily Wagers Forum (JKCDF) on Friday held a peaceful protest at Sher-i-Kashmir Park, pressing the government to address the long-pending demands of casual and daily-wage workers, particularly regularisation of their services.

The protest was led by JKCDF president Sajad Ahmed Parray, who said the workers had assembled to draw the government’s attention to their grievances and seek early resolution.
Parray said the forum remained committed to pursuing its demands through peaceful and democratic means but cautioned that prolonged inaction could compel workers to consider stronger measures.
“We want to remind the government that this is a peaceful protest. We appeal to the government not to force us to take the call of stopping the water supply,” he said.
He said the workers were serving the public and urged the government to intervene before the situation reached a point where essential services could be affected.
“We do not want the public to suffer, but the government should also understand the difficulties being faced by the workers,” Parray said.
The forum has repeatedly sought concrete action on the regularisation issue and urged the government to move forward on the recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the matter.
According to the forum, around 61,000 casual and daily-wage workers are awaiting a clear roadmap for regularisation. It has maintained that many workers have served for years without permanent employment status, leaving them facing continued financial and job insecurity.
Parray urged the government to initiate dialogue with workers and take time-bound steps to address their grievances.
The forum said it would continue its campaign through peaceful and democratic means and expressed hope that the government would respond positively to its demands.