Power supply to colony cut, mill workers protest
Hundreds of workers from JCT Mills staged a massive protest today against the disconnection of electricity to the Thapar Colony within the mill premises. The demonstration, led by union chairman Sunil Pandey and president Ravi Sidhu, also saw the state press secretary of Shiv Sena (UBT) Kamal Saroj and former municipal councillor Tripta Sharma, taking part.
Union president Ravi Sidhu alleged that around 4,000 residents of Thapar Colony have been deprived of power for the second time. He emphasised that the workers, who have been employed at JCT Mills for over 25 years, have no pending electricity dues as payments are directly deducted from their bank accounts. However, power officials cite unpaid bills amounting to crores, leaving the workers and their families, including children and elderly residents, in distress.
The protest, which began at around 10 am, intensified in the afternoon when women workers locked the main gate of the mill after heated arguments with the cops so that the machinery inside the mill could not be sold by the owners.
SHO City Amandeep Nahar tried to pacify the protesters in the presence of heavy police force. The SHO, however, assured to arrange a meeting of the workers with XEN, Phagwara, to restore the disconnected power supply in the residential colony.
The union gave the administration a 10-day ultimatum to restore electricity and ensure the final settlement of workers’ dues. Kamal Saroj accused the police of siding with mill owner Samir Thapar instead of addressing the workers’ plight. Ravi Sidhu warned that if their demands are not met, the union would escalate the agitation by locking down government offices, including the power department.
Prominent union leaders including vice-president Shardanand Singh, general secretary Naval Kishore Singh and media in-charge Madan Kumar Mishra joined the protest alongside hundreds of workers and their families. Women from the colony played a significant role in the demonstration, symbolising their frustration by locking the gates.
A heavy police presence was deployed but the protest remained peaceful. — OC
