Pavement workers lathi-charged

CHANDIGARH, June 10: The members of the Dhobi Welfare Society, Pavement Workers8217; Welfare Society and Footpath Workers8217; Rozgar Bachao Samiti today were lathi-charged by the police when they tried to break the barricades at the Chandigarh Housing Board roundabout here. The members were staging a joint protest in order to highlight their demands.

They were protesting the non-issuance of Identity cards to them. Sham Lal, president of the Dhobi Welfare Society, said the survey for the purpose of issuing I-cards has already been carried out by the officials of the Estate office, but so far they have not been issued the promised I-cards.

However, the members of the Footpath Workers8217; Rozgar Bachao Samiti are demanding that first a survey be conducted by the administration for the issuance of licenses to them. Lalit Prashad Verma, the general secretary of the Samiti said that despite the decision in the meeting of the Chandigarh Advisery council, the adminstration was not taking any steps to do the same.