Employees observe pen-down strike

Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 25

The Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee has given 72 hours ultimatum to the authorities to ensure arrest of Gurnam Singh, who attacked and abused Municipal Corporation (MC) team, including a woman building inspector, otherwise all work would be completely stalled. The civic body employees of all the four zones observed a pen-down strike to mark their protest against the attack today.

When the MC staff had gone to demolish an illegal colony near main garbage dump at Jamalpur Awana, its developer Gurnam Singh rammed his SUV three times into car of civic body officials. The developer allegedly manhandled and abused a 23-year-old woman building inspector, Kashish Garg. The building inspector had also accused the developer of tearing her clothes.

A delegation of civic body employees met Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill and MC Additional Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal.

The committee chairman, Ashwani Sahota, said the police assured them that owner of Rajan Estates, Gurnam Singh, would be arrested soon. 

The committee members have threatened to completely stop garbage lifting, sewer related and other work in the city if the suspect is not arrested. They said the MC and the district administration authorities would be responsible for the same.

The committee president, Sunil Kumar Sharma, said, “We met the authorities and demanded early arrest of the suspect, who attacked civic body officials. The developer of the illegal colony manhandled and abused woman building inspector. We have given an ultimatum of 72 hours to the authorities concerned to ensure arrest of the suspect.” 

Though the MC has its own police wing, but no cops accompanied the MC staff, who had gone to demolish the illegal colony. Notably, the staff of the MC building branch was attacked in the absence of cops. 

An official of MC building branch said, “We need written permission of the authorities concerned to take cops with us. In case of an emergency, we go without cops as we don’t have the permission letter.”

Meanwhile, the work at MC offices was badly affected as the staff participated in a dharna to mark their protest against the attack on the civic body team. 

Meanwhile, Lok Insaaf Party MLA Balwinder Singh Bains, SAD candidate for Ludhiana seat Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal and Congress councillor Parvinder Singh Lapran visited the MC Zone D office and condemned the attack on the staff. 

SAD condemns attack

The SAD on Thursday condemned the attack on a woman building inspector of the MC, Kashish Garg, by a realtor, who claims to be close to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. The party threatened to launch a statewide agitation in case the suspect was not booked for attempt to murder. In a statement here, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said it was shocking that the realtor, Gurnam Singh, assaulted the inspector in front of the public.