Govt staff body holds stir against development tax

Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, September 18

Employees of different departments organised a protest at the district administrative complex against the state government in support of their demands on Wednesday. Under the banner of Sanjha Mulazam Manch, they burnt an effigy of the state government demanding withdrawal of annual tax of Rs 2,400 imposed on employees.

Release of dearness allowance installments, restoration of old pension scheme, cashless health scheme and recruitment of employees to fill vacant posts are among their demands.

Employees of the offices of the DC, SDMs, tehsil, education, health, revenue, irrigation, finance and agriculture departments were among the protesters.

Sukhpreet Singh Pannu, district coordinator of the manch, condemned the “anti-employee” approach of the state government. He said the state government should fulfill the demands of the employees.

Meanwhile, employees working under the Union Government-sponsored Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) too organised block-level dharnas in Tarn Taran, Naushehra Pannuan, Patti, Chohla Sahib, Gandiwind, Bhikhiwind, Khemkaran and Khadoor Sahib demanding regularisation of their services.

Baljit Singh, district president of the MGNREGA Karamchari Union, Punjab, said about 1,560 employees had been working under the project for the last 12 years on a meagre salary. He said the employees were working for the Rural Development and Panchayat Department so their services should be regularised. He said the organisation would start its two-day dharna at district level and in case the government failed to acknowledge their demands, they would go for an indefinite path.