Srinagar, November 29 (KNO) : Protests continued on Thursday against State Advisory Council’s decision of turning Jammu and Kashmir Bank into a Public Unit. Peoples Democratic Party and J&K Bank employees took to streets demanding revocation of the decision. According to KNO correspondent, scores of PDP activists led by former works minister Naeem Akhtar took out a protest rally from headquarters and marched towards the Press Enclave in Srinagar. The protesting activists were stopped by police at Polo View. The protest rally was also joined by Ghulam Nabio Hanjura, Nizamuddin Bhat and Khurshid Alam.
Talking to reporters Naeem Akhtar said, “Some bureaucrats tend to be viceroys of Kashmir and think that they are visor than one and all in Kashmir which they are not. Kashmir is not a colony but a part of India. Though there are very good officers but some officers tending to be supervise try to create controversies. We urge Governor to immediately withdraw the order as otherwise new popular government on the very first day of its taking over will withdraw the order but we hope that Governor will immediately withdraw the order in the larger public interest.”
Employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank also staged a protest demanding a rollback of the decision of Governor SP Malik-led state administrative council to treat the bank as a public sector undertaking. According to KNO correspondent, scores of employees of the bank assembled at its corporate headquarters on M A Road and staged a demonstration, under the banner of All India J&K Bank Officers Federation, to demand rollback of the SAC order.
“This protest, which is a peaceful demonstration as J&K Bank workforce is a peaceful workforce, is against the SAC decision. We demand that the SAC rollback its decision as soon as possible and we will not let this decision be implemented on the J&K Bank,” Tassaduq Madni, president of the federation, told reporters.
Last week, the SAC approved the proposal for treating the J&K Bank Limited as a PSU, bringing it under the purview of the Right to Information Act, the Chief Vigilance Commissioner guidelines and the state legislature. The SAC move has come under widespread criticism from mainstream political parties, separatists and business and trade organisations in the state.(KNO)