Bathinda/Barnala: The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged police action against protesting sanitation workers in Barnala and sought a detailed report from the Punjab government within seven days, even as the workers blocked attempts by the administration to clear heaps of garbage that have accumulated during their strike.NCSK vice-chairman Hardeep Singh Gill wrote to Punjab chief secretary KAP Sinha, directing that the incident be investigated in a fair and transparent manner. He also asked the chief secretary to direct the DGP to submit a comprehensive report covering the circumstances of the incident, the alleged use of force and other related facts.Describing the matter as one of serious concern, Gill said safeguarding the rights and dignity of sanitation workers was the constitutional responsibility of the government. He said any allegation of excessive use of force must be probed in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner, adding that strict action should be taken if any official was found guilty. The Commission also urged the Punjab government to hold talks with sanitation workers to resolve the impasse and said it would continue to monitor the issue.The development came hours after sanitation workers thwarted efforts by the district administration and the municipal corporation to lift garbage that has piled up across Barnala during the strike.The Punjab and Haryana high court had on Monday described the accumulating garbage as an alarming situation and directed civic bodies to file affidavits by Wednesday detailing the steps taken to address the crisis.Tension flared near SD College and Handiaya Bazaar when civic officials, accompanied by police personnel, moved in to clear the waste. Protesting workers, including women, gathered in large numbers and staged a standoff, later alleging that police resorted to a lathicharge.The strike, led by the Municipal Mulazam Action Committee and the Safai Sewak Union, began on May 6 over demands for higher wages, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and regularisation of contractual employees. The workers oppose the Punjab government’s Feb 21, 2023 policy that requires 10 years of service before contractual staff can be regularised.According to committee adviser Kuldeep Kumar, the government had assured the unions on May 21 that hazardous-duty outsourced employees, including sewermen, safai sewaks, beldars and electricians, would be eligible for contractual status after three years of service. While the assurance briefly ended the agitation, workers resumed their strike on July 8, alleging that the government had failed to honour its commitment.
