Srinagar, Aug 20 (KNO): The indefinite peaceful protest by Non-Gazetted employees of the five newly established Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) in Jammu and Kashmir entered its fourth consecutive day on Thursday, with employees holding simultaneous road marches at GMCs Anantnag, Baramulla, Doda, Kathua and Rajouri to press for the finalisation and notification of their Recruitment/Service Rules.
The employees, who began their agitation on August 17, said they have yet to receive any concrete response or meaningful communication from the Jammu & Kashmir Health and Medical Education (JKHME) Department regarding their long-pending demand.
As part of Thursday’s protest, employees at all five institutions participated in peaceful road marches within their respective campuses and institutional premises. The protesters raised slogans in support of their demand and urged the administration to expedite the process of finalising the Recruitment/Service Rules.
The employees, as reported by the news agency - Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the prolonged delay in framing and notifying the rules has created uncertainty over their service conditions, promotional opportunities, career progression and future prospects.
“We reiterate that our demand is neither unreasonable nor confrontational. We have served these institutions with dedication for years and only want clarity regarding our service conditions, promotional avenues and career progression. The finalisation and notification of the Recruitment/Service Rules is a legitimate demand,” the protesting employees said.
They appealed to the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, the Minister for Health and Medical Education and senior officials of the JKHME Department to take immediate cognisance of the issue and initiate a meaningful dialogue with their representatives.
The employees reiterated that the indefinite peaceful protest would continue until they receive a concrete and satisfactory response from the authorities.
The five institutions involved in the agitation are GMC Anantnag, GMC Baramulla, GMC Doda, GMC Kathua and GMC Rajouri—(KNO)