Powercom contractual staff up in arms over pending demands

Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 20

Members of Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Committee (Powercom zone Bathinda) staged a protest over their pending demands and burnt an effigy of Power Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar at Hanuman Chowk here today.

Scores of protesters gathered outside the office of the Chief Engineer, West Zone, and raised slogans against the Powercom and the state government for not paying heed to their demands.

Later, they carried out a protest march from the Chief Engineer’s office to Hanuman Chowk and expressed their resentment over the government’s “indifference”. They also burnt an effigy of Power Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar.

Gurvinder Singh Pannu, one of the protesters, said, “Many contractual workers have not received skill allowance so far. The demand to regularise our services in the department was pending. We have also been asking for a hike in salary but nothing has been done by the state government till now.”

Pannu added, “Our salaries are delayed and we have to carry out protest to get it. Gratuity and bonus of many employees are pending.”

The protesters warned that if the government did not meet their demands, they would ‘ghreao’ Kangar’s residence on March 1.