A day of protests in Panchkula

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Panchkula, April 4

It was a day of protests in Panchkula, as three demonstrations took place in the city today.

Under the banner of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), health workers, who were appointed on a contract basis under the National Health Mission (NHM), staged a protest against termination of their contracts at the Civil Hospital in Sector 6.

Protesters said they acted as a backbone of the health system during the Covid-19 pandemic, but their services were terminated abruptly, without giving them a notice. These employees were recruited during the pandemic to overcome staff shortage.

They later submitted a memorandum at the offices of the Director-General, Health, the National Health Mission and the Deputy Commissioner demanding immediate reinstatement.

Those sacked included 17 laboratory technicians, six data entry operators, two occupational therapists, 10 drivers, six ward boys and two staff nurses, they said.

At the office of the Municipal Corporation in Sector 14, private waste collectors continued their protest against the decision of the civic body to hand over the work of door-to-door segregated waste collection to a contractor. On April 1, private garbage collectors, under the banner of the Door-to-Door Garbage Collector Welfare Committee, had staged a protest to press for their demands and dumped garbage outside the MC office as a mark of protest.

On a complaint of Deputy Municipal Commissioner, the police had registered a case against three persons who were leading the protest for allegedly instigating protesters, obstructing public way and government work and damaging public property.

Meanwhile, workers of the Haryana Youth Congress staged a protest outside the BJP district office in Sector 2 over skyrocketing prices of fuel and gas.

The protest was a part of the “Mehngai Mukt Bharat” campaign by the Indian National Congress.