Farm labourers up in arms

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 2

Seven farm and labour unions under the banner of the ‘Pendu and Khet Mazdoor Union’ today staged a protest near the District Complex in Bathinda. The round-the-clock protest will be continued till September 4 raising their demands related with the protection of interests and rights of Dalits and agricultural labourers in the state.

They demanded that the alleged police oppression against the Dalits and labourers should be stopped. Other demands include increase in wages under MNREGA up to Rs 500 per person per day and the work under it should be given for all 365 days to all, increase in old age and widow pensions, potable drinking water for people belonging to the Dalit and labour class, possession and allotment of 10 marla plots to homeless and landless labourers, Rs 3 lakh each for construction on these plots, implementation of the old PDS system where the Dalits and labourers could get ration, Rs 5 lakh compensation and government job for kin of those labourers who had committed suicide due to debt burden, implementation of law that supports giving of 1/3rd of the panchayati land to Dalits for cultivation and no anti-labourer amendments favouring the industry should be made by the Centre.

Mahipal, senior leader of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha, said: “Allotment of plots to the Dalits and labourers and possession over it is one of the demands we are seeking from the state government since long time. The Badal-led state government in 1997 gave letters of plot allotments to a number of Dalits and labourers who were homeless and landless but the possession is still awaited.”

“A number of times we had raised the issue and held protests but to no avail. This time, we will also highlight the issue of shortage of potable drinking water for Dalits. Most of the schools are unable to provide potable water whereas a number of schools still rely on hand-pump water that is hazardous to health. Drinking water is a basic need and the right of every citizen but the state government had failed to provide the same to the Dalit community,” said Mahipal.