Mohali agriculture department employees climb atop Kheti Bhawan, threaten self-immolation

The near-450 employees, who have worked with the Mohali agriculture department for 11 years under the Government of India scheme, Atma, are seeking regularisation

Blurb: Employees, who have worked with the dept 11 years under Atma scheme, are seeking regularisation

Employees of the Mohali’s agriculture department climbed atop the Kheti Bhawan and threaten self-immolation during a protest. (Bloomberg)

High drama was witnessed on Tuesday after six protesting contractual employees of the agriculture department went on the roof of Kheti Bhawan in Phase 6 with petrol-filled bottles and threatened that self-immolation in their demands of regularisation are not fulfilled.

The members of Sanyukt Atma Punjab Association have been holding a protest for the past one week outside the Kheti Bhawan.

Speaking of the workers’ plight, association general secretary Shaminder Singh said around 450 employees have worked as technocrats on a contract basis with the agriculture department for the last 11 years under the Government of India scheme, Atma.

Singh said no government representative has paid any heed to their issues despite their week-long protest, adding, “Agitated over the same, six employees went to the roof of the building with bottles filled with petrol.”

He added that he had not received his salary for the last three months, which had pushed him into a financial crisis. He later said the protesters demanded regularisation of all contractual employees, failing which the protest will be intensified.

Till the filing of the report, the six employees were still camping atop of the Kheti Bhawan roof.