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Moga MLA, mayor stage protest against attack on councillor by sanitation workers
Congress’s Moga MLA Harjot Kamal threatens to intensify protest and even move the Punjab and Haryana high court, if required, if police fail to take action
The Congress’s Moga MLA Harjot Kamal and city mayor Nitika Bhalla along with her deputies and party councillors on Thursday staged a protest at the municipal corporation (MC) office against an alleged attack on a councillor by the protesting sanitation workers a day before.
The MLA threatened to intensify the protest and move the Punjab and Haryana high court, if required, if police failed to take action. Kamal and the mayor were accompanied by senior deputy mayor Praveen Pina and deputy mayor Ashok Dhamija and other councillors.
Kamal said with the assembly elections around the corner, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders are instigating the sanitation worker unions and misleading them to tarnish the Congress’ image. “Since the opposition has no issue to rake up, they are fabricating issues even at the cost of health of people,” the MLA said.
The protesters also sought an FIR against those responsible for turning the city dirty and closing the MC offices, under sections of the Epidemic Act and for obstructing public servants from discharging their duty.
On Wednesday, the protesting workers allegedly attacked Congress councillor Praveen Makkar when he reached the civic body office.
The MLA said, “To end the strike, I had arranged a meeting of worker unions with the local government minister who assured to meet their genuine demands. But some of their demands were not reasonable. They wanted regularisation according to their list and set up new dumpsites.”
They also handed over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police (SSP) seeking action against the unions.
Garbage remained unattended across the city for a couple of days as sanitation workers were on an indefinite strike for their demands. The protesters had locked all the MC offices.
