Sewermen threaten to gherao MC office

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, December 5

The Rashtriya Safai Karamchari Sangh, headed by Surinder Kalyan, today took out a protest march from Jagraon Bridge to Zone A office of the Municipal Corporation at Mata Rani Chowk to focus on the exploitation and pending demands of safai workers.

Addressing the rally at the MC office, Kalyan said the urban local bodies were exploiting the safai workers and sewermen while the state government was watching the situation helplessly.

Blaming Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi for the poor plight of the safai workers, he said if the pending demands of the safai workers were not conceded within a fortnight, they would be left with no other choice than to lay a siege to the MC office and also gherao senior functionaries of the civic body.

In a memorandum submitted to the MC Commissioner, the sangh demanded regularisation of safai workers and sewermen recruited on DC rate, weekly off as well as implementation of pension and gratuity scheme for newly recruited 1,430 safai workers, insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh to sanitation staff, regularisation of sanitary supervisors and payment of due grade to them, hike in uniform, soap and oil allowance and ensure timely payment of salaries.