Ludhiana: Protests paralyse city, commuters bear brunt
Frustration in the public is growing, especially among office goers and students who rely on these roads; while protesters continue to raise their issues, citizens feel that their daily life is being held hostage by repeated blockades
Ongoing protests in the city have started to cause major inconvenience for daily commuters, with traffic coming to a standstill on key routes. On Sunday, a fresh round of demonstrations led to traffic congestion on Ferozepur Road, forcing vehicles to divert to the narrow service lane, which soon became overcrowded.
Frustration in the public is growing, especially among office goers and students who rely on these roads. A commuter, visibly upset while stuck in traffic, said, “These daily protests have become a headache. The roads remain jammed from morning until afternoon. It is difficult to manage work and personal commitments with this kind of disruption every day.”
While protesters continue to raise their issues, citizens feel that their daily life is being held hostage by repeated blockades.
Unemployed Youth clash with police, several detained
The protest by Berozgar Sanjha Morcha took a dramatic turn when the protesters began marching towards the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) local office, leading to a police crackdown.
As the protestors attempted to proceed towards the AAP headquarters, the police intervened and detained several key leaders including Sukhwinder Singh Dhilwan, Raman Kumar Malot, Jaswant Ghabaiya, Sukhwinder Kumar Malot, and Sukhjeet Ramanandi.
In retaliation, the protestors redirected their march towards the residence of Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora, who is also AAPs candidate for Ludhiana West bypoll. They reminded the government of its past promises, including public commitments by AAP leaders before elections to provide jobs and address youth unemployment. As a symbolic gesture, protestors also carried green pens and ink, once used as a symbol of hope by the chief minister, to highlight that their demands have still not been addressed.
“Despite being in power for nearly three and a half years, the AAP government has not conducted a single major recruitment drive in these crucial sectors,” said one of the protesters, Sukhwinder Singh. Later, the protestors met cabinet minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond who assured the protestors that their long-pending demand for a meeting with chief minister Bhagwant Mann would soon be fulfilled and handed over a written assurance.
Descendants of freedom fighters demand recognition
Descendants of freedom fighters and members of their representative organisation staged a protest on Ferozepur Road on Sunday, expressing strong resentment over the Punjab government’s alleged neglect of their long-standing demands.
Protesters claimed that despite their families’ sacrifices for the nation’s independence, they have been sidelined in matters of welfare and policy. The group is seeking an increase in the reservation quota for descendants of freedom fighters in educational institutions from the current 1% to 5%. They also demanded medical insurance coverage and urged the government to rename educational institutions in honour of freedom fighters to keep their legacy alive.
Ravinder Kapoor, Ludhiana zone incharge of the organisation, stated that a delegation had recently met MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu. “We have been assured a meeting with CM Mann after June 23, during which we will present all our demands in detail,” he said.
NHM workers demand regular jobs, pay hike
The city witnessed a massive protest on Sunday as hundreds of National Health Mission (NHM) employees took to the streets raising their demands from the state government. The contractual health workers raised slogans and marched with black flags, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of turning its back on them after winning power.
Led by state president Wahid, the rally saw participation from NHM workers across more than 50 job categories within the state’s health department. Addressing the gathering, Wahid reminded the government that before coming to power, AAP leaders had assured NHM employees that they would be regularised on a priority basis. “It’s been over three years since this government came into power, yet not a single meeting has been held by chief minister Bhagwant Mann with us. The agreements made during earlier meetings have also been ignored,” he said.
Highlighting the growing financial strain on NHM employees, Wahid pointed out that despite being professionally recruited, workers have been surviving on meagre salaries for over two decades, without any substantial financial benefits apart from annual increments. “The government boasts about improving healthcare, but it continues to ignore the very people running the system at the grassroots,” he added.
AIDS control staff demand job security
Members of the Punjab AIDS Control Employees Welfare Association staged a protest expressing anger over the government’s failure to fulfill its promise of regularising their jobs and increasing their salaries. The employees accused the state government of making repeated assurances but taking no concrete action.
Leading the protest, union president Jasmail Singh Deol said that the employees working under the Punjab State AIDS Control Society have been waiting for years for job security and better pay. “Before coming to power, the current government had promised to regularise our jobs and bring our wages in line with other states. However, our demands have been completely ignored,” he said.
He highlighted that the Delhi State AIDS Control Society was recently given a 20% salary hike. “If Delhi workers can receive a fair raise, why is Punjab turning a blind eye to its health workers? We have had several meetings with ministers, and each time we were given fresh hope. But to this day, nothing has changed,” Deol added.
