Ludhiana, April 30
Municipal authorities at Mansa and Ludhiana today bought peace by handing over cheques of Rs 2 lacs each to the families of the two employees who died in a manhole at Mansa yesterday. They were also given written assurances that they would be employed after election results are declared on May 16.
Sanitation employees and relatives earlier staged a dharna for five hours in front of the residence of Ludhiana municipal commissioner, G S Ghuman.
Mansa SDM, N S Brar and Executive Officer of the MC, Parminder Singh told The Tribune that the municipal employees were sent “officially” from Ludhiana and there were documents and communication to establish it.
The controversy, however, refused to die down because part of the compensation was apparently paid out of the funds of the Red Cross Society of Mansa. The cheques issued by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation also raised eyebrows because they were apparently issued without any approval from the competent authority. Sources within the MC held that no payment can be made till it is approved by the Finance & Contract Committee. No meeting of the committee has been called in view of the on-going election and the Model Code of Conduct in force, they claimed.
Talking to The Tribune, Roop Lal (45) and Som Pal (37), who had gone to Mansa along with the deceased Ram Prakash and Tarsem said, “JE Surjit Singh took a team of five people. We were dropped at Mansa around 15 days ago by the JE himself.” They added that they do not have any written document nor they have signed any paper about their deputation or temporary transfer.
“We were provided official accommodation. We would work early in the morning at around 4am, as it is the only time when there was adequate pressure of water and the sewer could be cleaned,” they added. They are not aware, they said, whether they were being marked present in Ludhiana or Mansa.
Both Roop Lal and Som Pal are working as temporary workers with the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation for the past one-year.
Congress councillor Raju Thapar claimed, “There is no provision in the Municipal Corporation Act to transfer employees from one place
to another.”
