Former Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President, Omar Abdullah, Tuesday urged the government to formulate effective measures to resolve the employees’ issues, especially after preventing them from voicing their legitimate demands through protests.
“When government employees are prohibited from protesting, they are left with few avenues to express their legitimate service-related grievances. It is vital to respect service conduct rules. With this restriction, employees are at a loss on how to voice their concerns regarding genuine demands,” he said while speaking to reporters as per Kashmir News Service (KNS).
“Unions are typically a platform to protest, but if that avenue is closed off, other viable methods should be offered to address their issues. Government officials should initiate dialogues with employee representatives to engage in meaningful discussions aimed at resolving these concerns,” stated Abdullah.
On Amarnath holy cave road, he stated, “Numerous court decisions have been made to protect the green belts, such as near Dal Lake where the government prohibited even renovations to safeguard the environment. Similar restrictions apply in Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonamarg, where construction projects were halted to preserve the surroundings”.
“If these measures are taken to protect these areas, then it should also be a responsibility to preserve the environment near the Amarnath holy cave. For centuries, pilgrims traveled by foot, so the need for a new road is questionable. The pilgrimage traditionally involves a degree of hardship, and many pilgrims themselves prefer to walk rather than use vehicles. Using vehicles is more of a disruption than a development,” he said.(KNS)