Take steps to materialise demands on ground level: Labour unions

Quote: Railway lines to be closed for 4 hrs

We have decided to go ahead with our rail roko agitation on December 12, as part of which railway lines will be blocked from 12 pm to 4 pm — Jora Singh Nasrali, state president, punjab khet mazdoor union

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 10

The district unit members of the Dehati Mazdoor Sabha and Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in villages of Bathinda today to mark resentment over non-fulfilment of their long-standing demands, which were agreed upon by the government recently.

The demands included debt-waiver, five-marla plots for landless and financially-deprived labourers, and redress of pending cases in which Dalit families were harassed.

The labourers gathered at Jeond, Ghurela, Gurusar, Kotguru, Bir Behman, Multania, Jangirana, Kaljhrani, Ghudda, Jodhpur Roamana and Naruana villages and raised slogans against the state government for allegedly failing to deliver on “agreed-upon demands”.

Jora Singh Nasrali, state president of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said: “We will not rely on just verbal assurances given by the CM until the state government takes some concrete steps to materialise those promises at ground level. The government must issue directions with immediate effect to respective departments so that our demands can be fulfilled.”

“If the state government fails to deliver on its promise, we will intensify our stir. We have also decided to go ahead with our rail roko agitation on December 12, as part of which railway lines will be blocked throughout the state from 12 pm to 4 pm,” added Nasrali.