RAWALPINDI, Feb 14: The Punjab government on Tuesday agreed to regularise the services of work-charged employees for which they set tough criteria, it has been learnt.

According to the Punjab government notification issued on Tuesday, only those employees who have completed four years and seven months (1700 working days) in service will be regularised and would be reappointed only in a financially sound organisation.

In Rawalpindi, over 2,000 daily wage employees have been waiting for the regularisation of their services and majority of them are not eligible for another government job for being over age.

Although for daily wager there is no age limit, the new criteria sent by Punjab government and seen by Dawn set age limit for daily wager at 25 years on the day of appointment which leaves very few to qualify for regular posts as majority of them have crossed the age limit.

In Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) alone, besides contractual employees, over 400 daily wagers have been working for the last 26 years.

“The criteria set for regularization is too tough to benefit anybody. It seems as if the work-charged employees would be fired from services instead of regularizing them. We will challenge the decision if it is not revised or withdrawn,” a daily wager in Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) told this reporter.

“Why the provincial government does not regularise our services just like the federal government did. When entire work-charged employees in Capital Development Authority have been made regular by federal government then why not here?” another employee said.

However, Managing Director Wasa Raja Shaukat whose office has maximum number of daily wage employees in Rawalpindi defended the criteria laid down by Punjab government arguing that the decision had been made after thorough consultations by committee members on provincial members.

“We are evaluating the decision and I hope majority of employees would be regularised. Employees who do not match the criteria will not be axed but will remain on work charge,” the Wasa chief added.

Some employees on condition of anonymity told Dawn that they would approach local PML-N lawmakers if their services were not made regular and threatened to go on strike for pressing the government to withdraw the decision.

Afzal Khan, 56, a tube well operator has been working on work charge for the last 25 years getting Rs226 from his parent organisation as daily wage, and like him hundreds have been waiting for their services to be regularised.