By IANS,
Chandigarh : Over 200 workers of daytime child care centres from across Punjab Monday held a protest march on the busy roads of Chandigarh despite allotment of a fixed site for public conventions and rallies.
The march was held from sector 34 to Sector 22 and then to the busy road dividing Sectors 16 and 17 in the afternoon.
The incensed Anganwadi workers demanded an immediate increase in the salaries, provision of travelling allowance (TA) and daily allowance (DA), promotions according to seniority, pension scheme and summer holidays for the employees. They also raised slogans against the Punjab government.
The Chandigarh police made arrangements to control the situation and blocked the sectors 16-17 road for users. As a result, traffic suffered heavily due to these diversions at peak hours leading to traffic jams in the adjoining sectors of 17, 16, 22, 23 and 34.
“We are sitting on a relay fast since June 7 to press our demands. Every day, 51 members of our union sit there on fast, but the authorities are not moved at all so we are forced to take this extreme step,” Surjit Kaur, one of the agitators, told IANS.
The road dividing Sectors 16-17 has become a favourite site for protesters to hold rallies leading to traffic snarls.
The inaction of administration to ensure the free flow of traffic during such events is in violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s directions. It is also contrary to the Chandigarh administration’s decision to mark a site in sector 25 for protests and rallies.