The air in Jammu and Kashmir is thick with tension as daily wagers, the unsung cogs of the Union Territory’s machinery, take to the streets. On March 10, Srinagar’s Lal Chowk and Jammu’s Civil Secretariat bore witness to their anguish—hundreds of workers, many from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, clashing with police, their pleas for regularization drowned out by batons and barricades. This is not a new cry; it’s a decades-old echo, amplified by broken promises and a government grappling with a deceptively simple question: how many are there?
The Invisible Backbone
Across departments, an estimated 60,000 to 100000 daily wagers toil without permanency or fair pay. Take Ghulam Nabi, a 48-year-old PHE worker from Baramulla. For 22 years, he’s repaired water lines, earning ₹6,750 monthly—below the minimum wage. “I’ve given my life to this job, but I’m still a ghost on paper,” he laments. His story mirrors thousands, from wildlife laborers earning ₹2,000 irregularly to PHE workers keeping taps running. Their demand? Regularization, a living wage, and recognition for decades of service.
Yet, their fate hinges on a bureaucratic riddle. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on the dayb after his budget speech, admitted in a press conference: “We don’t have a concrete number. The figures from line officers are misleading.” He reiterated this in the Assembly, stressing the need to “fix the count first.” The problem isn’t new—in 2014, during the NC-Congress coalition, then-minister Sham Lal Sharma resigned over the same issue, with the NC alleging fake PHE entries, especially from Jammu, a charge Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar vocally endorsed.
Budget Silence, Street Fury
The spark for this week’s protests was the recent budget, which ignored the NC’s pre-election pledge to regularize daily wagers. On March 10, the Jammu Kashmir Casual/Daily Wagers Forum (JKCDF) rallied in Srinagar, threatening a post-Eid strike and water supply cut-off. In J&K, the PHE Employees Union planned a three-day shutdown from March 20. “We’re not asking for charity; we’ve earned this,” says Shanti Devi, a 15-year PHE veteran from Jammu, her voice trembling with resolve.
The government’s response was swift but harsh. Police lathicharged protesters, prompting an uproar in the Assembly on March 11. CPI(M)’s M.Y. Tarigami, a trade union stalwart and CITU J&K president, led the charge, backed by Kashmir MLAs like PDP’s Waheed Parra, Advocate Reyaz Khan, and Peoples Conference’s Sajad Lone, alongside Jammu’s BJP trio—Sham Lal Sharma, Suneel Sharma, and Sugan Parihar. Tarigami, a lone supporter during Abdullah’s 2009-2015 tenure, called it “a fight for justice,” recalling years of unmet demands.
Abdullah’s Tightrope
Facing this bipartisan outcry, Abdullah announced a high-level committee on March 11, led by the Chief Secretary, to tally daily wagers and propose solutions within six months. “This is humanitarian, not just financial,” he said, decrying the police action as “unfortunate.” But he deftly shifted blame: “The J&K Police answers to the Home Ministry, not me.” It’s a pointed barb at the BJP, which has wielded indirect control via the Centre since 2014.
Abdullah also jabbed at the PDP-BJP regime (2015-2018), which regularized only 570 daily wagers despite lofty budget promises. “We’re starting where they failed,” he quipped. Yet, for workers like Ghulam Nabi, it’s déjà vu. “In Omar’s first term, we got batons, not jobs,” he recalls. “Only Tarigami stood with us then, and now.”
A Legacy of Denial
The daily wagers’ saga predates the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, worsening as private sector jobs dwindled. The PDP-BJP coalition sidestepped the issue, and the Lieutenant Governor’s administration since 2019 has outright rejected regularization. The NC’s 2024 return stoked hope, but the budget’s silence shattered it. “Six months for a committee? We’re starving now,” says Shanti Devi, echoing a sentiment of betrayal.
Politically, the stakes are high. BJP MLAs staged a walkout on March 11, slamming the NC’s inaction, only to face counter-accusations of hypocrisy. Abdullah’s committee gambit buys time, but it’s a gamble—workers threaten to disrupt water supply, a move that could paralyze the Valley. “We’ll shut the taps if they shut us out,” warns Ghulam Nabi.
Voices of the Stakeholders
For Shanti, GhulamNabi, and thousands like them, this is about survival. For Tarigami, it’s a labor cause rooted in decades of advocacy. For Abdullah, it’s a test of credibility in a Union Territory with limited autonomy. For the BJP and PDP, it’s a chance to score points against a rival they once outmaneuvered. And for the LG’s administration, it’s a policy line drawn in the sand.
As the committee forms, Jammu and Kashmir watches. Will it unravel the numbers game and deliver justice, or will it join a long list of stalled promises? For now, the daily wagers—real, resilient, and resolute—wait, their protests a testament to a fight that’s as genuine as it is grueling.
