Rabindranath Biswas
Port Blair, Dec. 21: A large number of Daily Rated Mazdoors (DRMs) staged a dharna in front of the APWD Office, Port Blair recently and registered their protest against non-regularization of their jobs by the competent authority.
According to information, the dharna was mounted by the APWD Karmachari Sangh (affiliated with Andaman & Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh BMS). The protestors shouted slogans demanding early regularization of their jobs without further delay. The DRMs said that they have been working since 2003 in APWD and they were entitled to 01/30th of minimum pay in the year 2017 by the Administration. The Administration then gave assurance to these DRMs that they would be duly regularized shortly, they claimed. But, it has elapsed 5 to 6 years, yet they haven’t been regularised and it is a matter of grave concern, they rued. As such, they are now reeling under a number of adversities, the protesting DRMs lamented. They also said that it has become very difficult for them to maintain their families with the meagre salary the DRMs get, and especially when the price of everything has considerably increased. These DRMs have been urging the Administration innumerable times after 2017 to consider in respect of the regularization of their job, but the Administration hasn’t given two hoots to their plea for regularization, they alleged. On the other hand, there are a number of DRMs who are gradually attaining the age of senior citizens and this thought has been haunting them day and night as; if they aren’t regularized whitin the age limit, what will happen to their family members, they bemoaned. There were a number of women DRMs as well who actively participated in the assemblage amidst several domestic problems and social challenges to register their protest and display solidarity. Women DRMs said that they were entitled to 01/30th of minimum pay, but if they don’t go to duty for a day, they don’t get the leave, rather the wage/payment is cut from their salary they alleged. And if they are regularised, they would at least get a day as a leave to go to hospital for the treatment, the women DRMs bewailed. However, the senior DRMs in the protest urged the Administration to initiate necessary process in order to regularize their jobs as soon as possible, otherwise the assemblage will take a mammoth shape and will start a massive dharna in the coming days, they threatened.
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