The State Government employees marooned in floodwaters in Srinagar and still struggling to come to terms with their personal loses have been directed by the State Chief Secretary to immediately report back to their duties to mitigate the sufferings of common people otherwise action shall be initiated against the absentee employees.
large number of Jammu-based employees and those who are still stranded in Srinagar and those who managed to return home after walking down several kilometres along the Jammu-Srinagar highway, without any support from the State Government, have questioned the wisdom of the senior State functionary before issuing such a directive.
The agitated employees claimed when flood waters have forced Chief Minister to run his mini secretariat from Hari Niwas Palace guest house and senior Cabinet Ministers remained untraceable how is he expecting us to resume duties when they have lost their belongings and other essentials.
The employees, on the condition of anonymity told The Pioneer, “The hotels and guest houses where we were staying in Srinagar were either still submerged or badly damaged in flood waters and in the absence of any accommodation arranged by the Government there is no place for us to stay put and operate”.
According to the employees, the State civil secretariat complex is still submerged and most of the other Government offices are inaccessible on foot."There is no communication with the head of the department and the employees and no one is aware how many of them have actually survived the deluge. How can Government initiate action against them for remaining absent," the employees recouping in Jammu claimed.
"When we were stranded no help was sent to us or no alternate arrangements were made to rescue us even after the treacherous wait of 4-5 long days," the employees argued.Some employees also complained that the guest houses/hotels hired by the state govt even violated the contracts and refused food to them during the crisis situation.