PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The sit-in by the Karmchari Adhikari Sanyukt Morcha, which includes employees of Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS), was suspended on Tuesday after the protesters received assurances from senior government representatives.
The Morcha has been staging a protest at the UJS headquarters in Dehradun for over two weeks in support of its long-pending demands, the key among them being granting government body status to the UJS. The employees are also opposing the decision to hand over revenue collection responsibilities to Peyjal Nigam. The Morcha has maintained that maintenance and revenue collection fall under UJS, while Peyjal Nigam is responsible for construction. They said the recent change has hit UJS staff hard, as salaries are dependent on revenue collection and the new arrangement has created financial difficulties.
On the 16th day of the protest, vice chairman of Uttarakhand Pichhada Varg Rajya Kalyan Parishad with minister of State rank and representative of the chief minister, Ashok Verma, along with additional secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation department Jharna Kamthan visited the protest site for talks.
During the discussion, Kamthan informed the employees that a meeting has been scheduled for July 22 under the chairmanship of the secretary, Drinking Water, to discuss the nationalisation of UJS and Peyjal Nigam. She said the employees’ views will be placed in the meeting for positive action in line with their sentiments, and requested them to call off the strike in view of the prompt steps being taken.
Verma also assured the protesting employees that positive action would be taken on their demands.
Following this, Morcha chief convenor Nandlal Joshi held detailed discussions with the employees about the talks and the assurances. A unanimous decision was taken to suspend the agitation until further orders.
Morcha advisor Gajendra Kapil while addressing the employees said, “We should trust the assurances of the government and its representatives. The strike is being postponed, not ended. If the government and administration fail to take a decision in accordance with the employees’ demands, we have the option of resuming the movement with even greater force.”
