Palledars protest non-clearance of dues

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 4

Demanding immediate disbursal of their dues today, hundreds of palledars who had carried out labour works during procurement and lifting of paddy this season held a protest here today at the Children’s Park in Bathinda.

Protesting under the banner of the Punjab Palledar Union, they raised anti-government slogans and condemned the government for its failure to release and disburse their payment.

Addressing the gathering, union’s district president Jasvir Singh Goniana said even after around three months of procurement of paddy in grain markets of Punjab, the palledars are yet to get their payment for unloading paddy and the poor labourers are finding it hard to earn a square meal for their families. Almost all these labourers were living in a poor financial condition.

Goniana said: “The pending dues of labourers include Rs 80 lakh Rampura block, Rs 50 lakh in Bhucho Mandi, Rs 50 lakh in Goniana, Rs 40 lakh in Raman Mandi and Rs 70 lakh in Maur Mandi. Government procurement agencies had paid only 40 per cent to us while the rest is pending. We would intensify our agitation if the government fails to clear our dues.”

Earlier, these palledars had raised a number of demands, including to not to levy service tax on labourers and giving of contract of loading and unloading grains to palledars instead of arhtiyas as decided earlier this year by the state government. Direct payment to labourers instead of payment of wages through the contractor, to stop hooliganism by contractors and forcible work by labourers on lower wages, fixing of labour wages by the government, increase of wages by the state similar to the Food Corporation of India, facilities for labourers under Section 16 of the Contract Laboure (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, reduce weight of bundle of gunny bags and change in train timings so that labourers could work in daytime instead of nights are some other demands which palledars had raised before the procurement of paddy this season.