Post assurance, PWD daily wage workers end fast

Mandi, September 19

Around 120 daily wage labourers of the Public Works Department (PWD) today ended their protest on the sixth day at Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti after getting assurance from the member of Tribal Advisory Council that their issue would be taken up with the state government effectively for early solution.

These labourers were sitting an indefinite chain fast at Kaza for the last six days in protest against the closure of their muster roll since January 31.

Tanzin Hozer, president of the PWD Labourers Union at Kaza, said, “We ended our protest today after getting assurance from a member of the HP Tribal Advisory Council that the matter will be resolved on priority. Tomorrow our delegation will meet the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at Shimla to request him to resolve the issue on priority.”

“We have been working for the department for the past three years and have rendered our services till May this year. At May end, the department authorities asked us not to come on duty anymore because our muster roll was closed on January 31,” he added.

“The closure of the muster roll affects our seniority for regularisation of our jobs in the near future. So, we started this protest at Kaza to raise our genuine demand with the state government. We urge the CM to resolve the issue at the earliest so that we can join duty,” he said.