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Ludhiana: Contractual employees lay siege to NH-44
18-month-old child dies as ambulance gets stuck in jam due to protest by contractual employees; SDM says reason of the death is being verified
Members of the Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Morcha, Punjab, along with their families and various labour unions launched an indefinite protest and blocked the National Highway 44 (NH-44) in Khanna on Sunday.
The protesters blocked the highway in front of the house of Punjab industry and commerce minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli. The police tried to pacify the them, but when they did not relent, cops diverted the traffic that resulted in a massive jam on alternative routes connecting the highway. The protesting union activists refused to lift dharna till their demands were met.
The day also saw the death of an 18-month-old child, who was in an ambulance stuck in the traffic jam. The parents of the child are residents of Mohanpur village in Khanna.
However, leaders of the protesting union said they were not responsible for the death. Varinder Singh Mohi, president of the morcha, said they had submitted a memorandum to the district administration nearly 15 days ago. He said that thousands of employees, along with their family members and children, were also bearing the vagaries of harsh cold weather.
Khanna SDM Manjeet Kaur expressed regret over the death of the child. The SDM said she was informed that the child was seriously ill. “The reason of the death is being verified and it is being checked how and where the ambulance got stuck,” she added.
In the meantime, the government is in talks with the protesting employees, she said.
‘Govt’s claim mere an eyewash’
“The government’s claim of regularising the jobs of 36,000 contractual employees is mere an eyewash and a publicity stunt ahead of the elections. We have a simple demand. Enrol the daily wage employees on contract and regularise those working on contractual basis for a year,” said Mohi.
He said that nearly 10,000 members of the union have arrived at the protest site so far and the number is likely to increase in the coming days. He said that each union member has been told to contribute for bedding and food arrangements.
Commuters bear the brunt
Queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway in Khanna. While cars were being diverted to alternative routes, many passenger buses which were stuck cancelled their onward journey.
Several private buses were diverted to Neelo Road, Samrala-Khanna road and Payal - Katani road, which led to a massive traffic jam at Katani Chowk and Samrala city.
“We were heading towards Phagwara, but cops diverted the vehicles from Khanna. Now we are told to first go towards Morinda and from there take the connecting highway which leads to Phagwara. It is unfair to commuters and a sheer harassment. First, there should be no protest on the highways. And secondly, the authorities should make proper arrangements to tackle the problem if a prior announcement is made about the protest,” said Surinder Kumar from Karnal, who was visiting a relative in Phagwara.
