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Ludhiana MC employees suspend work for 3 hours during protest
The Ludhiana MC employees suspended work at the civic body’s offices for three hours to protest against a group of bitumen contractors who had accused MC officials of corruption without providing proof and to demand fulfilment of long-pending demands
Slamming a group of bitumen contractors for accusing municipal corporation (MC) officials of corruption without providing proof and demanding fulfilment of long-pending demands, the Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee protested outside the MC’s Zone-A office and suspended work at the civic body’s offices for over three hours on Wednesday.
They also sought regularisation of contractual Class-4 employees, promotion of eligible Class-4 employees to clerks, expediting the process of providing jobs on compassionate grounds and implementation of revised pay grades.
The employees’ union demanded that an FIR be lodged within 72 hours against Vinod Jain, the leader of the contractors, failing which they will intensify the agitation. The protesting employees also handed over a memorandum to senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra and MC additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal.
Chairman of the union, Ashwani Sahota, said that Jain has accused MC officials of corruption while allotting contracts for road construction works last month and announced boycott of the projects. On August 31, the union had asked Jain to submit proof or apologise. But, even after a week, he has neither submitted proof nor submitted an apology.
“Jain’s company was also blacklisted last year. Now, we have asked the higher authorities to lodge an FIR against him in 72 hours, otherwise we will intensify the protest. If required, we will also gherao Jain in the coming days,” said Sahota, while adding that they have also urged the authorities to fulfil their other long pending demands.
Malhotra said that the councillors are also in support of the MC staff and action will be taken against the contractor who had levelled baseless allegations. The other demands of the union will also be discussed at the state level, he added.
Despite attempts to contact Jain, he was not available for comments.
Visitors face harrowing time
Visitors to the MC offices faced a harrowing time, as work at all four zonal offices and suvidha kendras was suspended for over three hours (9am to 12.30pm). The entry to the MC headquarters (Zone-A office) was also blocked, as hundreds of employees had gathered outside.
Ritesh, a visitor to the Zone-A office, said, “I had come to meet the superintendent and get a TS1 certificate and I had to wait for over an hour. The employees should not harass the public and office work should not be disturbed.”
Another visitor, Gurpreet Singh, said that he had visited the office to submit the property tax as the authorities have been appealing the public to submit the tax by September and avail a rebate of 10 percent. “Now I will again have to visit the office on some other day,” said Singh.
