Srinagar, In a glaring example of financial neglect, 600 retired employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Cements Limited, located in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), have been left without their retirement benefits, resulting in severe economic distress for themselves and their families.

According to Kashmir Media Service, these retirees have been fighting for their dues, which have been partially unpaid since 2006 and completely unpaid from 2018, due to the government’s decision to disinvest from the ailing IIOJK Cements. Their continuous pleas for justice have yet to yield any positive outcome, leaving them in a state of perpetual uncertainty and financial instability.

The situation is particularly dire for the families of 120 retirees who have died in the past few years without seeing the benefits of their decades of service, highlighting the human cost of administrative neglect. These families are now facing additional hardships, from affording medical expenses to covering basic life events like marriages.

The financial liabilities owed to these employees range significantly, with individual amounts due between Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 90 lakh, reflecting the extent of the government’s inaction over resolving their grievances. Despite several meetings and appeals to the authorities over three years, their situation remains unchanged.

Mohammed Yousf Butt and Kamal Handoo, representing the JK Cements Retired Employees Association, have voiced their frustration over the lack of progress, underscoring the retirees’ shattered hopes for a resolution.

The association has made an urgent plea for the release of at least Rs. 25 crore from the disinvestment funds of JK Cements to partially relieve the financial burdens of the retired employees, a move that would provide some relief but still falls short of fully addressing the long-standing issue.