The Hindu : National : Workers allege police intimidation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005

National

National

Workers allege police intimidation

Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Alleging that the Ghaziabad police are engaging themselves in acts of violence, intimidation and coercion against workers of KEC international, an engineering and construction company, at the behest of its owner, the Kamani Employees' Union has filed a petition before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the matter. They also want the Commission to direct the Uttar Pradesh Government to ensure that the workers are not forced to do work that puts their lives at risk.

The petition says that the police were pressuring KEC workers through threats and assaults to force them to undertake dangerous work on its electricity transmission line construction projects. Theworkers' lives are endangered when electricity lines under construction come in contact with already existing and fully functional transmission lines.

The workers refused to undertake "shutdown work" on November 11. It involves temporarily taking down existing transmission lines that come in the way of or in contact with existing and operational transmission lines.

Workers were particularly vigilant as the negligence of construction companies in the area of the shutdown resulted in the deaths of workers in earlier projects. According to the petition, there were seven accidents this year alone that caused severe injuries to workers at the 400 kv transmission Line in Bareilly-Mandaula.

The petition said KEC employees in Muradabad, Rampur, Bareilly and Agra districts were subject to similar acts of police coercion.

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