Sajad Lone, the President of the J&K Peoples Conference and MLA from Handwara, showed his support for protesting Kashmiri contractors this morning. The contractors are demanding the release of their long-overdue payments, which they say have been unfairly delayed.
Lone criticized the government for ignoring the struggles of these contractors, who have worked hard on public projects. He pointed out that the officials have not been responsive to their needs, highlighting the financial difficulties faced by the contractors.
“The fact that Kashmiri contractors have to hold an overnight sit-in outside the Chief Engineer PHE’s office for their rightful payments shows how much the government doesn’t care. Their priorities are clearly not in the right place,” Lone said.
He expressed anger over the lack of action from government officials, saying, “The government is in a shameless slumber. Not one official bothered to come and talk to them while they spent the whole night outside the PHE office.”
Lone also criticized politicians who used to ask for votes, saying they are now focused on unimportant things. “Those who once begged for votes are now busy giving out shawls instead of addressing the real issues of the people who trusted them,” he added.
In his final remarks, Lone urged the government to act quickly to resolve the contractors’ problems. “This is not charity; this is their hard-earned money. Their issues need to be fixed right away. I stand with them in their fight for what is right,” he concluded.
The protest highlights the ongoing frustrations of local contractors, who are calling for the government to pay them on time and take their concerns seriously.
