Patiala May 30- State President of PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union Punjab (Head Office Chandigarh) Makhan Singh Wahidpuri, General Secretary Phuman Singh Kathgarh, Senior Vice President Balraj Singh Maud said that a massive protest dharna will be held at the Chief Engineer Office of Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Patiala on 09-06-2025.
Since rural water supply is being given to the Panchayats by the department, while the schemes given to the Panchayats earlier are in very poor condition, the state leaders brought this matter to the notice of the cabinet ministers included in the sub-committee formed under the leadership of Finance Minister Punjab.
The Finance Minister assured the leaders that rural water supply will not be given to the Panchayats. HOD Water Supply and Sanitation was also present in the meeting. Those orders should be implemented at the lower level. The leader of the organization, Kishore Chand Gaj, said that the demands of the employees in the Water Supply and Sanitation Department are pending for a long time.
Despite repeated meetings with the head offices and acceptance of the demands, the issues have not been resolved. The main demands of the employees are to provide jobs to the heirs of the deceased employees. These cases are pending for a long time. It is very sad that more than 135 employees have died in the department. The department is not making any policy for the contact, outsourcing, enlistment workers and contract employees who have been working for 15 years.
They should be regularized in the department, while thousands of posts are lying vacant in the department. They should be recruited immediately on a regular basis, the promotion channel is not being implemented on grade four employees as promotions are being done in all other categories, but grade four employees are being severely discriminated against.
The service rules of the department should be amended. The department has taken action against the employees promoted to the post of junior engineer under the 15 percent quota in the department by issuing a wrong letter.
The government and department officials are adopting a policy of evasion in resolving the pending DA installments, arrears of Pay Commission and the demands mentioned in the demand letter. Against this policy, the organization has decided that a huge protest will be organized on June 9 at the Chief Engineer Office of Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Water Supply and Sanitation, Patiala. Thousands of employees from all over Punjab will participate in this protest.