Forest Conservator flags minister’s meeting with daily wagers

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, September 30

Four days after Forest Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak held confabulations with daily wagers to discuss their demands, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Raman Kant Mishra has red-flagged the issue and shot off a letter, saying that the “daily wagers who attended the minister’s meeting will be treated as absent from duty.”

This development means that the 35-odd daily wagers who were present during the deliberations stand to lose one day’s wages. For the last several weeks, daily wagers had been protesting for their demands, following which they had decided to lay siege to the minister’s Chandigarh residence on September 17. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Nidhi Srivastva, Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration) wrote a letter to Rachpal Singh Jodanagri, president of the Democratic Janglat Mulazim Union, informing him that a meeting with the minister had been fixed for September 22 in Mohali.

The proceedings were presided over by Kataruchak. Interestingly Mishra, too, was present in the meeting. The union was represented by Rachpal Singh and Amarjit Shastri and Germanjit Singh, both advisers to the union.

Four days later, on September 26, Mishra came out with a letter, saying that the daily wagers would be treated as absent. A list of the wagers who had attended the meeting was affixed with it. When contacted, Mishra said he was out of station and would comment only after he returns.

“Instead of acting sympathetically, as was assured by the minister, the department is being vindictive towards us,” said Shastri. Meanwhile, Kataruchak has said he will look into the matter.