Assembly elections: Panchkula becomes hotbed of protests by workers, government employees

Ravneet Singh
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, July 30
As the elections to the state Assembly draw near, respective organisations and unions of government employees and workers have started reaching Panchkula, resorting to agitations. The city has started witnessing protests by regular and contractual employees, as well as residents over various demands.
A prominent demand raised by different organisations pertains to job security and regularisation of services.
Among the protesters are the workers associated with the National Health Mission (NHM) who have been holding protests for the past five days demanding regularisation of their services and seeking service security, social security, economic security, ex-gratia as per Haryana Civil Service Rules till the formation of such a policy. The strike was called by the NHM Karmachari Sanjha Morcha, Haryana, and has been attracting numerous workers from all parts of the state to the city. The workers under the NHM include staff nurses, ANMs, ambulance drivers, operators, among others.
Extension lecturers demand job protection
The extension lecturers, over 2,000 in number, who are rendering their services at 142 government colleges in the state, want regularisation of their jobs or job protection till the age of 58 through a special act. The lecturers recently held a press conference and announced to hold an agitation on July 31 under the banner of Extension Lecturers’ Welfare Association, Haryana. The lecturers, who have qualified PhD and NET, said they are paid Rs 57,000 per month as per minimum pay scale equal to basic pay given to regular assistant professors.
Vocational teachers seek regular jobs
Vocational teachers, who teach 18 different skill subjects to students of Classes IX to XII, have been protesting at the open grounds behind Hafed Corporate Office at Sector 5 for over a month demanding regularisation of their jobs and increment in salaries. They have resorted to holding sit-ins as a mark of protest. The 1,959 teachers have been working under the Haryana Kushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRN) since 2014 and are paid Rs 33,000 per month while they claim another 147 vocational teachers hired by the state separately are being paid Rs 57,000 per month.
Docs want cut in-service bond time for PG courses
Government doctors associated with Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) resorted to protests and suspended all work demanding reduction in in-service bond for PG courses, assured career progression (ACP) at shorter intervals, changes in service rules for filling SMO seats from amongst medical officers only and formation of specialist cadre of doctors, including gynaecologists, physicians, radiologists and others. Doctors from across the state suspended work and many of them reached Panchkula and sat on a hunger-strike for their demands.
Nurses press for allowance
Nurses working at all state government hospitals resorted to a protest and suspended work for two hours on July 25 demanding nursing allowance of Rs 7,200 per month and recognition as group-B employees. The nurses said they have been demanding the allowance in accordance with Rs 9,000 nursing allowance paid to Central Government employees. The nurses wore black badges for two hours on two days as a mark of protest.
Residents protest govt decision on S+4 policy
Apart from these, residents of the city have been protesting demanding a roll-back of the state’s decision to allow stilt-plus-four (S+4) constructions on residential plots. The matter grabbed eye-balls as the S+4 constructions were banned around 16 months before they were again allowed in the first week of July. The residents have been demanding a roll-back stating such constructions in old sectors of the city will cause damages to their neighbours’ houses, affect water quality, sewerage, electricity connectivity and other civil supplies. Residents’ welfare organisations have resorted to holding small protests.
Residents of Sector 20 and adjoining areas across the Ghaggar river have also resorted to small protests over the state’s enhancement of cost of land for acquisition for sectors.