From Patiala, protests shift to CM Channi’s hometown

Tribune News Service

Morinda, September 24

With the appointment of local MLA Charanjit Singh Channi as Chief Minister, dharnas and protests rallies are also shifting from Patiala, the hometown of his predecessor Capt Amarinder Singh, to Kharar and Morinda.

Members of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department’s Motivator and Master Motivator Workers’ Union have started a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister’s residence at Morinda. BEd-TET pass teachers, who had announced to gherao Channi’s Kharar residence, today postponed it after an assurance from the authorities to look into their demands. Protesters at Morinda said they had been staging protests in Gurdaspur, Malerkotla and Patiala for the past five years, demanding a fixed pay as per the minimum wages decided by the Deputy Commissioner. Hardev Singh, a protester, said they were deployed under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by the department in 2015. Initially, there were over 1,100 persons working as motivators, but their number had dwindled to 216, he said.

They said they had been rendered without work as the Chief Minister waived drinking water supply bill in villages. They had been earning Rs 2,500 a month as remuneration against collecting water supply bills charges in villages and for motivating people to construct toilets in their houses, Hardev Singh said.

The protesters said their dharna would continue until they were provided job security and minimum wages. Amanjit Singh, a BEd-TET Union member, said they had suspended their plan to protest outside the Kharar residence of Channi after an assurance from authorities.