The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Protest puts motorists to hardship

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Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Protest puts motorists to hardship

Special Correspondent

The daily wage employees were highlighting their demands

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Firm resolve: Members of the Karnataka State Daily Wage Employees’ Federation during the ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo,’ in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: Scores of motorists were put to hardship when members of the Karnataka State Daily Wage Employees’ Federation protested by staging a “rasta roko” near Majestic here on Monday.

The federation also took out a procession from Chikkalalbagh to Jakkarayanakere to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to their demands, including regularisation of services. A major grouse is the reduction of daily wage by 30 per cent, which cost them Rs. 1,200 a month, even as permanent employees are getting a 20 per cent pay hike as recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission.

This is ironical as both put in the same amount of work.

The federation had submitted a draft bill on regularising daily wage employees, but no action has been taken by the Cabinet sub-committee constituted for the purpose.

Vehicular movement on Cottonpet Main Road, Ananda Rao Circle, City Railway Station and surrounding areas was affected.

‘No lathi-charge’

Vehicles coming from Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar, Seshadripuram, and Malleswaram coming towards Majestic were stuck in a traffic jam for more than two hours.

The protesters alleged that the police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. However, Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Harisekharan told The Hindu that the police did not use their lathis. He said that the protesters were only “pushed” and chased away from the road in an attempt to restore vehicular movement.

It is said that the protesters later converged at Jakkarayanakere and held a meeting.

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