Jalandhar, September 7
Thousands of workers and employees working in government, semi-government and industrial enterprises observed a near-total strike today against the price rise of essential commodities and huge job losses in both the public and private sectors.

The strike was jointly organised by the trade unions of various political parties, including INTUC, BMS, AITUC, CITU, AIUTUC, UTUC, TUCC, AICCTU and independent federations to demand strict enforcement of labour laws, social security for unorganised workers and against disinvestment in central public sector enterprises. Employees of banks, LIC, BSNL, ASHA workers and Punjab Roadways participated in the strike. Industrial workers held rallies at Focal Point and Basti Bawa Khel. Bank branches and offices of LIC remained closed. A group of employees blocked a road leading to BMC Chowk. The employees of various banks held joint processions in different areas and a joint rally was in the LIC Complex.

This rally demanded that the government should take the necessary steps to control the prices of essential commodities, strengthen the public distribution system and ensure implementation of labour laws.

The rally was addressed by Amrit Lal, secretary, Punjab Bank Employees Federation, Surjit Ram, G.K. Joshi, S.P.S. Virk, H.S. Veer, Ved Kumar, S.S. Kooner, Dev Datt Sharma, I.P. Midha, D.L. Verma, S.R. Arora and Anil Chopra.

Another rally was organised in front of GMT office by BSNL employees. The rally was addressed by Swatantar Kumar, Dinkar Dutt Sharma, Sat Pal, Surinder Paul and Atul Kumar.

HOSHIARPUR: There was a mixed response to the bandh call of nine trade unions in protest against the alleged anti-people and anti-employee policies of the Central and Punjab governments and price hike of essential commodities.

Mazdoors, employees, aanganwari workers and helpers assembled at Shaheed Udham Singh Park and staged a protest march to Prabhat Chowk where they blocked vehicular traffic from 12.30 pm to 3 pm.

Mohinder Kumar Badoan (CITU), Dilbag Singh Sidhu (INTUC), Kuldip Singh (AITUC), Ganga Parsad and many others condemned the Central and Punjab governments for their anti-people and anti-employee policies.

They condemned the recent increase in the rates of LPG, diesel, petrol and kerosene.

The general secretary of the All-India Khet Mazdoor Union, Punjab, Gurmesh Singh, and former leader of Government Employees Union Harkanwal Singh demanded immediate stoppage of privatisation of the public sector, strict implementation of the labour laws, strenghtening of the PDS, provide government grades to the aanganwari workers, helpers and ASHA workers.

According to Punjab Roadways General Manager Harjinder Singh, 30 to 35 per cent buses of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS plied on the main routes.

PHAGWARA: Financial services in Phagwara, Phillaur and Nakodar remained disrupted in the wake of the nationwide strike called by various trade unions.

While banking and insurance services were affected due to strike, state government employees, excluding those on emergency services, abstained from work.

Meanwhile, the bus services, banking and postal services were partially affected.

The local branches of all the nationalised banks remained closed and bank transactions worth crores could not be materialised. The strike also affected work at the general post office and insurance companies. Meanwhile, partial strike was observed in the FCI and electricity offices.

KAPURTHALA: Partial bandh was observed in Kapurthala as a majority of shops remained opened.

Bank and PRTC bus services remained paralysed due to strike. However, private buses plied as usual. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.

BATALA: Industrial town of Batala observed A partial bandh here on Tuesday in protest against the price rise of essential commodities of daily use.

All the banks here observed a complete bandh.

Private and Punjab Roadways buses did not ply.

Reports received here said that nearby towns of Qadian, Harchowal, Dera Baba Nanak and Fatehgarh Churian observed a complete bandh.

TARN TARAN: Employees of different departments of the state government, in solidarity with the one-day strike call given by trade unions, held a protest here.

Employees blocked traffic on the Amritsar road for more than an hour when they were marching in the town in support of their demands.

Balkar Valtoha, Jagjit Singh Chhajalwaddi and other employee leaders condemned the Central and state governments for the rising prices of essential commodities.

Leaders demanded regularisation of the services of the daily wagers and other employees working on ad hoc basis and stop the move to privatise government institutions.

NAWANSHAHR: Safai karamcharis, labourers, brick-kiln workers, rehri-rickshaw pullers and construction workers, under the aegis of AIFTU, observed a strike and held a dharna in front of the office of the SDM here on Tuesday.

Kulwinder Warraich, state vice-president of AIFTU, attributed the rise in prices of essential commodities to the wrong economic policies of the Central and state governments. Avtar Singh Tari (Brick-Kiln Workers Union), Gurdial Rakker(Rehri Workers Union), Hari Ram (Rickshaw Workers Union), Kamaljit Sanawa (Pendu Majdoor Union), among others, accused the government of ignoring the labour laws.

Kapurthala, September 7
The police has registered a case against two brothers-in-law of Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans on the complaint of a Pendu Mazdoor Union (PMU) leader.

The case has been registered against Paramjit Singh Pamma, president, Municipal Council (MC), and Sukhwinder Singh Sukha, councillor, both brothers-in-law of Hans Raj Hans, and SAD general council member Gurdev Singh on PMU leader Balwinder Singh’s complaint.

However, a cross criminal case has also been lodged against Raj Pal and Balwidner Singh on the complaint of Sukhwinder Singh.

According to police sources, Sukhwinder Singh had a tiff with Balwinder Singh and some other persons at Pamma’s residence on Monday evening while resolving an issue of money transaction of Rs 6 lakh between two parties. The police said both the parties clashed with each other resulting in injuries to Kuldip Singh, a relative of Pamma.

PMU activists held a protest in front of the office of the SSP after the incident. They demanded registration of a criminal case against Pamma, Sukhwinder Singh and Gurdev Singh. DSP Kulwant Singh said the police would probe the role of Pamma and Gurdev Singh as according to initial reports both were not present at the time of clash between both parties.

Pamma told mediapersons that neither he nor Gurdev Singh was present in the meeting between both parties. He said even his brother Sukhwinder Singh was not involved in the case as he only acted as a mediator to resolve the issue. He demanded the cancellation of false FIR registered against them.

Several residents of Mohalla Mehtabgarh, led by former Transport Minister Raghbir Singh and accompanied by Pamma, met SSP Sukhminder Singh Mann to demand the cancellation of “false case” against them.

On the other hand, a PMU delegation, led by its state president Tarsem Peter, met DSP Kulwant Singh and demanded inclusion of section 295-A of the IPC against the SAD leaders. They threatened if the section was not included and all accused SAD leaders were not arrested by September 9, they would be left with no option but to chalk out an action plan.

Hoshiarpur, September 7
Resentment prevails among district Congressmen against the state leaders of the party for completely ignoring old and senior leaders from Hoshiarpur while recently nominating the delegates for the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

In a press release here, former president of the Municipal Council Ajay Mohan Babbi alleged that state leaders of the PPCC had nominated a majority of those persons as party delegates from the district who had opposed party candidates not only in the elections of the assembly but also in the elections to the Lok Sabha. He further alleged that some of the newly nominated delegates did not belong to the district.

He pointed out that former member of the Rajya Sabha and president of the District Congress Committee Dharam Pal Sabharwal, former minister and senior Congress leader Naresh Thakur, former MP Kamal Chaudhary, who represented the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat for four times, Jasbir Singh Pal who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Garhdiwala segment on the party ticket, former MLA Ram Rattan, President of District Mahila Congress Taranjit Kaur Sethi, Municipal Councillor Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Master Romesh Kumar, Mukerian and Bipan Ghambir, Dasuya, had been ignored while opportunists had been nominated as delegates.

A deputation of disgruntled Congressmen would meet AICC President Sonia Gandhi and apprise her of the real picture of the party so that ignored Congressmen could be adjusted in the organisational wing of the party.