Local labourers being deprived of basic livelihood: PDP

Srinagar, Jan 19 (UNI) Senior PDP leader Najeeb Abbas Khan today urged the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that local labourers were engaged in all major projects in the state.

In a statement here, he said the local labourers and artisans were being deprived of their basic livelihood as majority of agencies involved in some major projects in Jammu and Kashmir had engaged workers from outside the state.

Mr Khan said both the Centre and the state government had made it mandatory for these companies to engage local labourers and contractors in all the projects being undertaken in the state.

However, he claimed that while local contractors were engaged, labourers were called from other states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, thus depriving livelihood to thousands of local workers.

Mr Khan said these contractors had always preferred the services of workers from other states for reasons best known to them.

He said the state Labour Department could play a vital role in ensuring at least the basic livelihood to the working class.

''Unfortunately, the department concerned has turned a blind eye to the genuine problems of the labourers from the state,'' he added.

UNI