50% of services restored even as emergency workers’ strike continues

Higher districts of Kumaun region were affected more due to the strike by workers of Uttarakhand’s 108 emergency services.

Despite a meeting with the company’s management and director general of health, workers of Uttarakhand’s 108 emergency services and Khushiyon Ki Sawari (KKS) decided to continue their strike on Thursday.

Patients line up at a government hospital in Dehradun. The company operating the emergency services in Uttarakhand said over 50 percent of the services had been resumed by Thursday, January 3. (HT File / Photo used for representational purpose)

“While we were willing to end the strike after the conversation with DG health, but GVK’s management asked us to sign a code of conduct, which is essentially a move to corner us. So, we are going to continue the strike,” said Vipin Chandra Jamloki, state secretary of 108 KKS field Karamchari Sangh.

However, state head of GVK EMRI, the company operating the emergency services, said over 50 percent of the services had been resumed by Thursday. “We are already in the process of hiring people. Services in Dehradun have been completely restored. Within a week, services will be operational fully across the state,” said Manish Tinkoo, state head of Manish Tinkoo. “We also issued a notice that all those who do not join back by 8pm on Friday shall be terminated,” Tinkoo added.

Higher districts of Kumaun region were affected more due to the strike. The emergency services also registered a dip in the number of calls received.

“The number of calls has dipped as people have read media reports about the strike,” said a GVK EMRI official.