Punjab Roadways workers burn effigies of PM, CM to mark Dussehra

They have been demanding regularisation of contractual employees and revocation of three farm laws.

Demanding regularisation of contractual employees and revocation of three farm laws, the employees of Punjab Roadways under the banner of Contractual Employees Sangharsh Morcha staged a protest against the Centre and state governments at Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Inter-State Bus Terminal on Saturday.

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Protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia depicting them as Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhakaran to mark the occasion of Dussehra.

The employees rued that the government has been ignoring their long-pending demands and ‘anti-people’ laws are being enforced including the three farm laws and Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 among others. Also, the government is pitching for privatisation of the public transport system and the services of the outsourced staff are being terminated rather than regularising them, the protesters said.

District president of Punbus employees union, Shamsher Singh said that on one hand, the state government is making an announcement to provide 1 lakh government jobs to people of the state, and on the other hand the services of outsourced employees are being terminated. The contractual and outsourced staff has also been kept out of the purview of the Welfare Act 2020 by the state government, he said.

“We have burnt the effigies of PM, CM Captain Amarinder Singh and Ahluwalia to mark Dussehra as they have failed to work for the interests of the public and employees,” said Singh.

General secretary, Praveen Kumar said that the Union government is also floating ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-farmers’ policies and they should roll back the three farm bills and Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Kumar said that the protests will continue until their demands are met.