Srinagar: As the employees of State Information Department (ID) started indefinite strike against attachment of Joint Director Kashmir, not a single press release was issued on Wednesday by the department.
The employees are demanding immediate revocation of the attachment order of Joint Director Information Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmad Mir.
The ID employees union said that all the offices of Information Department both in Kashmir and Jammu Divisions will not resume their work till the attachment order of Mr Mir is revoked.
N//Ieither any advertisements will be received or distributed by the ID nor any official press releases will be issued till the attachment order is revoked, the union office bearers warned.
The spokesman of the union said unfortunately the employees of the Advertisement wings at the offices of Joint Director Information Kashmir/Jammu are subjected to frequent intimidation and harassment by some small-time editors demanding lion’s share of advertisements and other monetary benefits for their publications.
He alleged that in the recent past the frequency of such intimidating incidents has increased alarmingly and last week an editor while barging into the office of Joint Director Information Kashmir abused the officers there and even threatened to get them eliminated if his publication is not given bulk share of advertisements.
He added that in a similar incident that took place earlier this year, FIR already stands lodged against one such editor for threatening and browbeating the employees of the advertisement wing of the office of Joint Director Information Kashmir.
The Information Department Employees Union has sought the personal intervention of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti and the Information Minister, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali in ensuring the security and dignity of the employees who are working almost round the clock.
The Employees Union has also urged prominent media Associations in Kashmir and Jammu divisions to take cognizance of the disturbing scenario wherein some small-time editors are resorting to highhandedness and strong-arming of the employees for petty monetary gains so that such unpleasant incidents are not repeated in future and both the institutions continue to work in a cordial manner.
