Punjab sanitation workers withdraw strike after talks

Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Thursday announced that sanitation workers across various Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), municipal councils, municipal committees, and nagar panchayats in the state have decided to withdraw their ongoing strike after talks with the government.

Cheema told the media here that a five-member delegation from the workers’ 35-member committee held detailed discussions with Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains, senior government officials, and with him regarding their demands.

“Several demands were resolved during the discussions, while some issues linked to legal and election code-related matters require further procedural consideration. The government and union representatives had mutually agreed to form a committee that would examine all pending demands and work towards a permanent and practical solution,” he said.

The minister said the government has fixed a one-month timeline to sympathetically consider and resolve the remaining issues.

After detailed discussions over the past two to three days, all unions agreed to give the government time to address their concerns in a serious and structured manner.

Responding to media queries regarding Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu calling Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann an ISI agent, Cheema condemned the statement and termed it an insult to the people of Punjab and their mandate.

“This is not just an insult to the Chief Minister but to all 3 crore Punjabis. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently displayed an anti-Punjab mindset.”

He questioned why BJP leaders remained silent during the previous Congress government when allegations were repeatedly raised regarding the presence of Aroosa Alam at the official residence of the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Cheema asked why leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu and Sunil Jakhar did not raise questions at that time if they were genuinely concerned about national security.

He said BJP leaders were now making baseless allegations for political gains.

–IANS

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