Kharar MC staff end stir

MC executive officer Gian Chand Gupta, when contacted, said the Director had directed the deputy director, Local Government, Ludhiana, to probe the charges levelled against Avatar Singh.

Gupta said clarification would be sought from the higher officials of the department about deducting the salaries of the MC staff for the period during which they remained on strike.

Meanwhile, Kharar senior division additional civil judge Neelam Arora has restrained the Kharar civic staff union members from staging dharna, gheraoing MC authorities, showing black flags, interfering in the MC affairs and field work of casual MC employees, pasting posters on the walls, shouting slogans or using loudspeaker in the MC office, among other things, within a 50 m radius of outer door and wall of the MC office.

The order has been issued on a petition filed by MC chief Ranbir Singh. He had alleged that on June 25 the striking civic staff had obstructed him and other councillors from entering the MC office and used abusive language. He had pleaded that the strike by civic staff was illegal as no proper notice was served on the MC authorities before resorting to strike. The court has issued notices to Kharar Municipal Employees Union through its president Pardeep Kumar, and six other MC employees for July 16.

The court has also restrained the MC Employees Union members from obstructing the work of sanitation and water supply being carried out by the casual employees in the township. However, the court has granted them liberty to carry on legitimate union activities peacefully, but beyond the radius of 50 meters as described in the order.