Agitation deferred till Dec 5 - ‘On duty’ civic vehicle attacked, seized - Water and health workers suspend movement

Darjeeling, Nov. 17: The Janmukti Asthai Karmahari Sangathan, a body of contractual workers with the DGHC, has decided to suspend its two agitation programmes till December 5.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliate had called for a strike among the public health engineering department (PHED) workers from today, to disrupt water supply in town. JAKS had also called a strike in government hospitals from November 22. Both the strikes were part of its agitation to demand immediate regularisation of jobs for the 7,000-odd contractual workers.

“We have decided to suspend the two programmes for the time. We went ahead with the PHED strike and found out that it was a huge success today. We, however, do not want to inconvenience residents and will not carry on with the programme till December 5,” said Machendra Subba, president, JAKS.

Although the JAKS had called a pen-down strike since early this month, contractual workers with the PHED and the hospitals had been kept out of the strike’s purview.

The strike by the PHED workers has little effect on the distribution of water in town. This is because, unlike Kurseong and Kalimpong, the water supply here is managed by the Darjeeling Municipality. The PHED is only entrusted with filling up the reservoirs.

Most of the residents of Darjeeling buy water from private tankers almost through out the year, depending little on the civic supply.

“The strike did affect Kurseong and Kalimpong,” Subba claimed.

The Morcha had also announced complete closure of the DGHC offices to support the JAKS demand and also to stop the council from issuing fresh tenders. There is, however, no change in the Morcha’s programme.