Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 10

Hundreds of farm and rural labourers will march towards the Chief Minister’s residence on the concluding day of their three-day protest in the city tomorrow.

The labourers, who have been protesting on the PUDA ground, said they would continue their protest in future until their demands were met.

Their demands include complete debt waiver for labourers, including non-government debts, waiver of electricity bills, plots to landless labourers and repeal of farm laws and labour codes.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old protester, a resident of Bhundar village in Bathinda, died of a heart attack at the protesting site last night. The protesters observed two-minute silence to pay tributes to him and called her a martyr. The members of the Sanjha Majdoor Morcha held a meeting with the district administration and demanded Rs10-lakh compensation and a government job to a member of her family, besides the waiver of her debt.

After the meeting, the SDM reached the protesting site and announced Rs5-lakh compensation and a job to a family member as per the policy of the state government.

Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, state leader of the Sanjha Majdoor Union, raising the issue of the Dalits, said they (Dalit) were not getting one-third of common panchayat land in the village as per the law. Besides, harassment of Dalits should also stop immediately, he added.