SRINAGAR: The PM package Kashmiri Pandit employees, who are on strike since May 12, have adopted two pronged strategy – legal path by moving Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and reaching out to government through BJP – to force the government to accept their demand for relocation to Jammu due to security concerns.
Two PM package Pandit employees Boopinder Bhat and Yogesh Pandita have moved the CAT against J&K government order prohibiting transfer of employees recruited under the Prime Minister’s special job package.
About 5,500-odd PM package Pandit employees are on strike and have not resumed their duties in Valley since May 12 when a Pandit employee was shot dead by militants inside his office in Budgam. The administration has stopped their salaries from August with the Lt Governor recently making it clear that those sitting at homes won’t be given salaries.
In their plea in CAT, the two Pandit employees have challenged sub-rule 4 of rule 4 and of J&K Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009, which provides that “in case the appointee migrates from valley again for any reason whatsoever, he shall lose the job without any notice and shall stand terminated”.
The plea has demanded quashing of sub-rule 6 of rule 6 J&K Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009, which provides that “the appointee under these rules shall have to work within Kashmir and shall not be eligible for transfer outside the valley under any circumstances.”