Jalandhar
Mazdoor Union: Stepping up their campaign, the members of Pendu Mazdoor Union held a Jatha march on Monday to press for their demand of waving off of their electricity bills. The march passed through Bakkhu Nangal, Nangal Colony, Khusropur, Bashrampur, Fazalpur, Pattad Kalan and Barhampur, villages near Kartarpur. The members raised slogans demanding unconditional withdrawal of the electricity bills by the government. Jatha march was also held in villages of Shahkot area, which passed through Kakra, Navankilan, Bhullar, Billi Chaharam, Alewali, Vadaslam, and concluded at Kagran.

Meeting held: Indian Federation of Trade Unions at a meeting, held under its president Gurmeet Singh, has called on the government to fulfill its demands which included stopping the privatisation of the PSEB and the sale of sugar mills, bring Bhattha workers under the purview of the 1948 Factory Act, and provide basic facilities for rickshaw pullers in all cities among others. Gurmeet Singh alleged that the Centre was giving a free play field buckling under the World Trade Organisation regime to the multinationals.

LBP rally: Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) on Monday held a dharna in protest against the state government for not fulfilling “any of its promises to the people of the state”. Addressing the rally, LBP’s national general secretary, Ramandeep Singh, said the Congress government in the state was following the footsteps of the previous Akali government and had only been indulging in sloganeering during its four-year term. “The situation has worsened to the extent that the figures of unemployed have gone up to 40 lakh in the state. This grim scenario is forcing youth to flee abroad,” he alleged. He also accused the government of ignoring the suicides by farmers and alleged that nothing was being done to improve their plight. District Jalandhar Urban president, Jasbir Singh, demanded withdrawal of “anti-people policies” of the state government. The party members also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh through the deputy commissioner highlighting the failures of the government on every front.