4 month long stir lashes working journalists, leave them jobless

PS Bali
Srinagar, December 13
During the four months long turmoil in valley, when everything was on hold, Kashmir at utmost incurred huge loss and it will inevitably take them next one year to reimburse it and to stand back. As when the strikes and curfews broke back bone of Kashmiri traders, Kashmiri youth were the prime fraction at receiving end.
When, number of private companies functioning in Kashmir, wrapped up their business after sensing prolonged strikes, left thousands of Kashmiri youth at the mercy of god, and increased the miseries of state government by augmenting ratio of unemployed youth in the state.
Alike other professions, the working journalists in the Kashmir were also engulfed by this lay out wave, wherein many reputed newspaper organisations thinned their staff, where as many others slashed remuneration of its employees to about 50 percent.
Dismayed over the harsh step of the organisations various senior journalists stated it as prejudice with the working journalists, as working in Kashmir in such atmosphere was lurking to death.
“In Kashmir, reporting is like working on edge as you never know what happens next in Kashmir. And it was more precarious working during turmoil of four months, pertaining to which many organisations ousted maximum of their working teams,” said a senior journalist, Irfan.
Journalists are of the view that government is much responsible for instigating owners of the organisation to take such a harsh step and they demanded provision for journalist community in Kashmir. “We had been swindled by the organisations as well as government; by imposing curfew for prolonged time government bound organisations to lay off their staff, as for around two months newspapers didn’t hit stalls, which impressed owners to incur less loss,” said he, adding government should came forward to retrieve this so-called fourth pillar of the society.
On one side where journalists blame organisations and government responsible for all, the owners of the various organisations say that it was not eternal, “we inspired upon journalist to take it for a time being, as this industry was incurring huge loss as for days together, newspapers remain off the site,” said owner of reputed newspaper, on condition of anonymity.
He added government didn’t lend us time to think over it neither government allowed journalists to work in constructive atmosphere. So now its government, who have to assure any alternative for journalists, if they allow journalists to work in sincere and constructive air, we are open to take them back in our organisation.
Contradicting claims of owners, journalists said that their colleagues were ready to work on half pay instead of any lay off, but owners of the organisations denied their call, due to many reasons better known to them.
“We don’t want to challenge owners and government, but we just want government to keep alive ethical profession and let them work ethical,” said journalists.