Protest dharna by Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union ( PKMU) in Lehragaga constituency of Sangrur district entered day 9 on Sunday. PKMU has now announced to start rail roko from Monday onwards whereby they will be staging dharna on Sangrur- Jakhal-Delhi railway line in Lehragaga. Reason: 18-year-old labourer Gurpreet Singh was crushed to death on November 11 after roof of an under construction commercial building collapsed in Salemgarh village of Lehragaga constituency and five others were injured. Lachhman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of PKMU told The Indian Express that Gurpreet was from Dhindsa village in Lehragaga constituency. “His body hasn’t been cremated till date as PKMU demands compensation worth 10 lakh, a job to a family member and loan waiver of this family and also money for treating the injured. Nine days have passed but no help has been received. Later Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will say that we are troubling the commuters by sitting on roads or by blocking the railway line. But tell me who is at fault?” he asked. He added, “Earlier, we kept on sitting outside Moonak Tehsil complex but were not heard. From Friday onwards we shifted our dharna outside the house of Barinder Goyal, AAP MLA from Lehragaga. However, there is no one to hear us, no MLA came to listen to us and the CM said on Friday that we shouldn’t block roads but can sit outside the MLA’s house or DC complex. We had been doing this for the past nine days and as no one heard us, we will be now sit on a rail roko protest from Monday. And the CM himself is responsible for this protest.” Harbhagwan Singh Moonak, PKMU leader from Moonak, added, “The building that collapsed belonged to a retired policeman and hence the authorities are going slow. No compensation has been given to the family whose young boy died and even the injured are paying the hospital bills on their own. It is indeed shameful that authorities are not bothered at all that Gurpreet’s body hasn’t been cremated till date and it has been nine days.” Meanwhile, when contacted, SSP (Sangrur) Surinder Lamba said, “Legal action has been taken against the owner and we have lodged an FIR against him. Negotiations are on to meet the rest of the demands .” Dharna outside Dreamland colony on November 30 Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha - comprising six mazdoor unions of Punjab have announced to protest outside Dreamland colony in Sangrur on November 30 where CM Bhagwant Mann has a rented accommodation. “This protest will be against the pending demands for which Punjab CM had promised but never fulfilled. On October 3, our proposed meeting with Punjab CM was cancelled and afterwards we were never given any time. Our demands include pending compensation due to damage of cotton crop because of attack by pink bollworm pest, farm labourers didn’t get work of cotton picking because of this damage and the previous Congress government had announced to give 10% of the total compensation to farm labourers. However, not even a penny has been given till date. One third panchayat land meant for agriculture should be given to actual SC families instead of dummy candidates, five marla plots for SC families and many other demands," said Zira Singh Nasrali president PKMU. Zamin prapti Sangrash Committee, pendu Khet Mazdoor union, krantikari Mazdoor union and various other unions are part of this sanjha Morcha. Protest on roads continue Meanwhile, road jam by 15 farmer unions who are part of SKM apolitical continues in Punjab even for the fifth consecutive day. Fast-unto-death by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president SKM (apolitical) entered day 2. Road jam is going on on Patiala - Rajpura road, at Tehna T point on NH-54 in Faridkot, in Amritsar, in Mukerian, Talwandi Sabo- Sardulgarh Road and in Mansa on Mansa- Barnala highway . Protests have intensified after Punjab CM's Friday's statement that it has become a Riwaz ( trend) to organise dharnas and commuters shouldn't be harassed by blocking highways.
