Srinagar: Dozens of unemployed engineers, who were working under Self Help Group (SHG) program, were detained on Monday, after police foiled their proposed Secretariat “Gherao” against government’s decision to abolish the scheme after 17 years.
The protesting engineers questioned as to what prompted the administration to abolish the scheme after 17 years. They alleged that the move has rendered 6000 odd engineers in Jammu and Kashmir jobless.
Holding banners and placards which read “Revoke GAD order, do justice with unemployed engineers”, dozens of engineer’s under the banner of Self Help Group (SHG) Engineer’s Union, assembled outside Civil Secretariat, to protest the government’s recent decision.
As soon as the protesting engineer’s tried to picket the Civil Secretariat, a pose of police deployed there in advance swung into action and bundled dozens of union members including their president, Syed Parvez Hussain into already awaiting vehicles before lodging them at Batamaloo police station.
Earlier, talking to media Parvez Hussain said the GAD order is “arbitrary” in nature and the administration must annul it before the affected engineers’ launch state-wide agitation against the move.
He said 6000 odd engineers who were working under SHG scheme introduced in the year 2003 in Jammu and Kashmir were left jobless. He said the decision was taken at a time when employment department was mulling to streamline the scheme in the Union Territory.
“This decision is arbitrary, which was taken without any consent from the concerned department, nor did the government inform us about the move. More than 6000 unemployed engineers were working under SHG. We are now completely jobless; who would take responsibility of our families,” he said before being taken into preventive custody.
