Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Harjot Singh Bains has reached Sutton House, PAU, Ludhiana, to meet leaders of the sanitary workers on strike.According to highly placed sources, Bains will have detailed discussions with these leaders, along with local MLAs Madan Lal Bagga and Pappi Prashar, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, MC Commissioner Ojaswi Alankar and top police officials, to put an end to the ongoing strike of safai sewaks in Punjab, which has choked the industrial city with garbage.The sources said that the protesting union leaders were also divided over the ongoing strike. While one group wanted the strike to be called off, another was adamant on its stand and wanted government to fulfil all demands first. The demands are regularisation of all contractual employees, including over-age workers, pension benefits and suspension of the DSP and the SHO of Barnala who had thrashed sanitary workers, among others.An official said that the garbage had to be lifted at any cost. He said that though some safai sewaks, who were against the protest and wanted to lift the garbage, were not being allowed by the other group to do so.Officials were allegedly being “threatened” that they would be held accountable for the consequences.An official said the protesting leaders were allegedly threatening that they would dump the garbage outside the houses of those who were trying to put an end to the deadlock without meeting their demands.


