Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Oct 21 The Punjab government employees across the state held protests on Wednesday as part of a two-day agitation against the state government’s alleged failure to fulfil their long-pending demands.
The main opposition Congress said mass casual leave has been taken by employees and the AAP dispensation should resolve their grievances.
The demands of the employees include restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments along with arrears.
The strike saw participation from employees of various government departments, and contractual workers of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS, affecting public transport services at some places in the state.
In Hoshiarpur, the Sanjhi Talmel Committee (Joint Coordination Committee) held a district-level protest rally outside the District Administrative Complex, with employees from various departments participating after taking mass casual leave.
The agitation is being held under the banner of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and the Joint Employees Platform Punjab.
The protesters, which also included some pensioners, demanded the release of pending DA instalments along with arrears, restoration of the old pension scheme, revision of pension and restoration of 37 discontinued allowances.
They also demanded regularisation of the services of mid-day meal, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, withdrawal of the July 17, 2020 notification imposing central pay scales on Punjab employees and the January 15, 2015 notification relating to the three-year probation period, and restoration of the cashless health scheme.
Addressing the rally, employee and pensioner leaders alleged that the state government was pursuing policies detrimental to the interests of employees, pensioners, farmers and labourers.
They accused the AAP government of spending public money on publicity instead of addressing people’s grievances and alleged that the government had not shown seriousness in resolving their demands.
The leaders warned that the agitation would be intensified if the government failed to address their demands through meaningful dialogue.
The rally was presided over by a praesidium comprising Kulwarn Singh, Bahadur Singh, Onkar Singh, Kulwant Singh Saini, Makhan Singh Wahidpuri, Sanjiv Dhoot, Mukesh Gujarati, Madan Lal Saini, Bikramjit Singh Ahluwalia and Pravesh Kumar.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said the mass casual leave taken by nearly three lakh government employees over their demands was a major indication of a crisis of confidence in the Bhagwant Mann government.
In a statement, Pargat Singh said a government was expected to listen to its employees and resolve their grievances, but they were being forced to take to the streets to press for their demands.
He said the situation reflected a deepening crisis of trust between the AAP government and its employees.
Pargat Singh said employees were not the only section dissatisfied with the government, as farmers were also struggling for their rights and ordinary citizens were facing difficulties in getting their grievances addressed.
Alleging a gap between the promises made by the AAP before coming to power and its performance, he said the government had failed to fulfil its commitments to employees, farmers and the common people.
Pargat Singh said the government should immediately initiate talks with employee union representatives, take clear decisions on their legitimate demands and ensure time-bound solutions.
He also urged it to address the problems of farmers and other sections of society without further delay.
The state Congress chief alleged that even with only three months of its tenure remaining, the AAP government was “focusing on political publicity and image-building instead of resolving public grievances”.
He said the mass casual leave and protests by employees served as a warning that people’s concerns could not be ignored indefinitely.
Pargat Singh said the people of Punjab were fed up with what he described as hollow promises and asserted that they would hold the AAP government accountable and show it the way out of power.
(PTI News)
