Srinagar, Apr 5: The All Jammu and Kashmir Patwar Association on Sunday raised concerns over digitisation targets and service issues, while announcing a three-day token strike if their demands are not addressed within the stipulated timeframe.
Soon after addressing a press conference here in Srinagar, senior association member Shafat Ahmad, while speaking to Greater Kashmir, said the government had earlier acknowledged the association’s concerns and entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on March 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023, assuring that genuine demands would be resolved within a fixed timeline. “Despite clear assurances from the government, it is unfortunate that even after more than three years, our genuine demands remain unaddressed,” he said.
He said that while the association supports digitisation, the manner in which it is being implemented is ‘flawed’. “The timelines fixed for digitisation are not practical. We are being forced to rush sensitive work, which may lead to serious errors in land records. We want quality work, not hurried completion,” Ahmad added. He said that the association has now warned that if the issues are not resolved within a week, members will proceed on a three-day token strike starting Monday.
He said the association, through the presser has also pointed to systemic issues within the department, particularly the lack of timely promotions. He said that the Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs), which were supposed to be held regularly, have not been convened for years in some cases.
He said that their association has urged the administration and senior officials, including the finance authorities, to intervene and ensure that both digitisation and promotion processes are streamlined in a fair and practical manner. “We have given sufficient time to the government. If our demands are not met, we will have no option but to intensify our agitation,” Ahmad said.
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