Agitating civic body staffers, MLAs exchange heated words
NONPAYMENT OF SALARY Protestors who were sitting on dharna outside MC office became aggressive as four legislators arrived there after attending a meeting
JALANDHAR : Unruly scenes were witnessed in the municipal corporation here on Thursday when workers got into a confrontation with MLAs from the city when they were protesting the delay in the release of salaries.
The workers, who were sitting on a dharna and raising slogans against the government on Thursday, became aggressive seeing all the four MLAs Bawa Henry(north), Sushil Kumar Rinku (west), Pargat Singh (cantonment) and Rajinder Beri (central) coming outside after attending a meeting on the surface water project.
The workers asked the MLAs not to visit their homes for votes during the next election, claiming that the Congress-led state government had failed to fulfil their promises.
Fumed by the unexpected critcism of workers, Bawa Henry and Pargat Singh shouted at the protesting workers for their ‘rude’ behaviour.
Vicky Sahota, who works as a clerk in the MC office, complained that MLA Bawa Henry used the term ‘Dafa ho’ (bug off) for him.
The workers, led by Punjab Safai Karamchari Union president Chandan Grewal then reached the mayor Jagdish Raj Raja’s office and complained to him against the ‘derogatory’ language used by them.
“Once former MLA Avtar Henry had told us that he does not need their votes and that he is good without them. He didn’t get any votes from us for ten years. The MLAs should learn to behave with workers, otherwise we know how to turn the tables,” said Chandan Grewal during meeting with the mayor targeting former MLA Avtar Henry’s son Bawa Henry.
Later talking to media, Pargat Singh said that they (MLAs) were here to attend the meeting and that the workers cant take liberty to act and behave in any manner.
“The government is currently facing many challenges, but it is already in the process of releasing their salaries, but that does not mean they should take us (MLAs) lightly,” said Pargat Singh.
STRIKE THREAT
Over 3,800 employees of the MC, both permanent and contractual, have threatened to go on a pendown strike on Monday, in case the government fails to release their salaries by then. The officials are yet to get their salaries for January.
The mayor has visited finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal ’s office twice in two weeks. Last week, the finance minister had assured the release of funds for salary, but no funds have been released so far.
The MC receives around ₹15 crore monthly for salaries of its employees.