Ludhiana, September 10
The work in the Hero DMC Heart Centre continued to remain suspended as the strike by some of the employees entered its sixth day today. Many employees in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital today alleged that some employees were trying to hold the entire hospital management, staff and patients to ransom by resorting to blackmail. A hospital spokesperson, however, claimed that Dayanand Medical College and Hospital functioned normally.
Some of the agitating employees also blocked the entry to Hero DMC Heart Centre by putting up barbed wires last night. Some of them also allegedly entered the girls hostel which created some panic. The management and most of the hospital employees have condemned this attitude of the striking employees.
Led by Ms Rajwant Kaur Randhawa, who is the president of the rival union, employees demanded that those trying to sabotage the peaceful atmosphere of the hospital should be seriously dealt with. Addressing a press conference, Ms Randhawa alleged that Mr Chander Mohan Kalia, whose faction was spearheading the campaign was doing it at the behest of outsiders.
Ms Randhawa alleged that Mr Kalia was resorting to hooliganism in the hospital, threatening the employees. She challenged Mr Kalia to hold the elections of the union and confirm his popularity among the employees. Mr Randhawa maintained that Mr Kalia had made the strike a regular feature of his strategy to blackmail and bully the management.
She said by resorting to uncalled for strikes, Mr Kalia and his supporters had vitiated the peaceful atmosphere of the hospital which had led to the exit of most of the patients. She alleged that Mr Kalia was doing all this on the behest of those who were
benefiting from the strike at the DMC. But, she asserted that her union would not allow Mr Kalia and his men to hold everybody to ransom.
Ms Randhawa, who is being accused of having slapped a security guard of the hospital, denied these allegations and claimed that this campaign was being orchestrated by Mr Kalia. She said only an altercation took place between her and the security guard and she had slapped no one. There were so many witnesses to the incident also. She said the days of Mr Kalia were numbered and the employees will not let him use the union for his personal benefits.
On the other hand Mr Kalia and his supporters denied the allegations and blamed the management for all the problems. Mr Kalia, while talking to the reporters, observed that the attitude of the management, particularly the secretary, Mr Amrit Nagpal was not encouraging. He said the management was not prepared to listen to the demands of the employees which had resulted in lot of confusion.
Meanwhile, a hospital spokesperson today claimed that normal services were provided to the patients who had come to the hospital today. The spokesperson maintained that all the indoor services, like the emergency, laboratories and OPDs functioned normally.
The spokesperson claimed that the hospital management was trying its best to provide proper care to all patients coming there.
