GULBARGA: The indefinite dharna launched by contract labourers of Gulbarga City Corporation was withdrawn on Tuesday following the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Anjum Parvez.

The labourers led by former Minister S.K. Kanta launched the dharna on Monday in protest against the corporation's "failure" in convening a general body meeting to discuss the future of the 500-odd contract labourers who would be retrenched under the new contract awarded under the Nirmal Nagar Project for solid waste management in cities and municipalities.

Mr. Parvez convened a meeting with Mr. Kanta and the Corporation authorities at his office on Tuesday. At the meeting, Corporation Commissioner S.P. Mudhol said that an emergency general body meeting had been convened on Wednesday to decide whether to cancel the new contract or not. Mr. Parvez appealed to Mr. Kanta to withdraw the agitation. He said that a permanent relief package for all contract labourers who had been working in the corporation would have to be worked out. He invited Mr. Kanta and the corporation authorities for another meeting in a couple of days to find a permanent solution to the problem.

Mr. Kanta said that Mayor Chandrika Parameshwar and Deputy Mayor Mohammed Jahed had invited him for talks on Monday evening. The Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and the Commissioner had agreed to convene an emergency meeting of the corporation, he said. Mr. Kanta said the new contract was "anti-labour" and would lead to exploitation of workers.

The new contract did not mention the specific number of workers who will be involved in cleaning operations. And the contractor had the freedom to involve any number of workers, he said.

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