Ludhiana: PWD employees strike work

Officials said that if the administration fails to take immediate action against a contractor, including registering a formal complaint against him, a march would be conducted from the PWD office to the district collector’s office on Monday

Officials of the public works department (PWD) on Friday halted their work in protest against a contractor, accusing him of filing a false complaints against junior engineer Sarup Singh. They staged a protest outside their office at the Rani Jhansi road and raised slogans against the road construction contractor.

The protesting employees demanded a strict action against a contractor, urging authorities to blacklist him. (HT Photo for representation)

Junion engineer Sarup Singh said the contractor was assigned the task of constructing a 320-foot road leading to Bicycle Valley on Dhanansu Road. “He completed work only on 200-metre stretch and sought approximately ₹20 lakh that was refused. The contractor lodged a false complaint on the government portal, accusing me of demanding a bribe of ₹50,000. PWD officials are being blackmailed which cannot be tolerated,” he said.

The protesting employees demanded a strict action against the contractor, urging authorities to blacklist him. Officials said that if the administration fails to take immediate action against the contractor, including registering a formal complaint against him, a march would be conducted from the PWD office to the district collector’s office on Monday. They also warned of intensifying their protest if their demands are not met.