Pendu Mazdoor Union to hold protest in Kartarpur, demand compensation for flood and rain damage

The Pendu Mazdoor Union has announced a protest on September 12 in front of the tehsil office in Kartarpur. The protest is organised under the call of the Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha, a coalition of rural and farm workers' organisations.

Union members said the protest is aimed at the central and Punjab governments, accusing them of neglecting the people affected by the recent floods and rains, leaving them without any relief.

The announcement was made by Kashmir Singh Ghuggshore, State Press Secretary of the union, along with Tehsil President KS Atwal, and leaders Balwinder Kaur Dayalpur and Paramjit Kaur Miko. The leaders addressed workers gathered in the villages of Ghuggshore and Bakhunangal, where the union also went door to door to assess the condition of homes belonging to people living in extreme poverty. Union members emphasised that the damage caused by the floods and rains was not a natural disaster, but the result of governmental negligence. They pointed out the significant loss of life and the widespread destruction of homes, shops, livestock, crops, and land across Punjab. Despite advance warnings, both the central and Punjab governments failed to take preventive measures, leading to massive destruction.

The union is calling for substantial relief measures, including the release of a national disaster fund. They have demanded Rs 25 lakh for human losses caused by the floods, Rs 15 lakh for the destroyed homes of labourers and poor farmers and Rs 5 lakh to help rebuild homes with thatched or wooden roofs. They also seek compensation for cattle lost in the disaster and full reimbursement for damages to crops, land, and property. The union has requested Rs 50,000 per family to cover the lost wages of labourers, along with adequate arrangements for food, medicine, and tarpaulins. They have called for the waiver of all loans, including those from government, cooperative, and microfinance institutions. Additionally, they are demanding the immediate reconstruction of damaged roads, schools, and colleges, and the repair of embankments of rivers, streams, and drains through MNREGA workers, who should be paid Rs 700 per day. The union also urged the Health Department to take large-scale measures to prevent diseases resulting from the floods.

The union has appealed to the affected communities to join the protest in Kartarpur on September 12 to demand urgent government action.