JAMMU, Aug 22: A meeting of the State Home Guards Employees Association was held under the chairmanship of Association President Kamla Sharma, during which detailed discussions were held on the long-pending demand for regularisation of Home Guard employees.
The Association said its members have been awaiting implementation of the relevant order of the Court and urged the government to take necessary steps within a stipulated timeframe so that Home Guard employees are not deprived of their legitimate right to regularisation.
The Association also stated that it had recently interacted with Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, who, according to the members, assured full support to the Association in taking up their concerns with the concerned authorities.
The representatives highlighted that Home Guard employees have been performing their duties with dedication and have consistently risen to the occasion during emergencies and other challenging situations. They demanded that the present employees be brought at par with the Home Guard batch whose services were regularised in 1989.
The Association further pointed out that regularised employees are entitled to various basic facilities, including medical assistance, pension and education-related benefits, while the present Home Guard employees claimed that they continue to remain deprived of such facilities. They demanded that all disengaged employees be reinstated and a proper seniority list be framed to ensure that employees receive benefits on completion of their qualifying service.
The Association appealed to the government to implement the court order at the earliest and take concrete measures towards regularisation and welfare of Home Guard employees. It said that timely action would provide long-awaited relief to employees who have been serving the department for years.
The meeting was attended by Mushtaq Ahmed, Chairman, Home Guards J&K Wing; Bilal Bhat, Vice President, J&K; Shahnwaz, General Secretary, J&K; Ghulam Ahmed, District President, Srinagar; Gulzar Ahmed, District President, Kulgam; Gopal Bhagat, General Secretary, Jammu; Sandeep Kumar, Vice President, Jammu; Ashok Kumar, Jammu; Rohit Gupta, Udhampur; and representatives from Reasi, Kathua, Samba, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, among others.
The Association also received support from Babu Hussain Malik, Chairman, Joint Action, J&K, who extended his full support to the employees’ demands and assured solidarity with their efforts for regularisation and other service-related benefits.
The Association reiterated its appeal to the government to address the long-pending issues of Home Guard employees through a time-bound process and ensure that their legitimate service-related concerns are resolved at the earliest.