Punjab Finance Minister, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, who also chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to resolve employee demands and issues, has instructed the Local Government Department to ensure that any new recruitment of sewermen and Safai Sewaks (sanitation workers) is done on a regular basis. He said that these employees face serious problems, and many of them have very few other employment alternatives.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema issued these directions today, in meetings with employee organisations of the Local Government Department, including the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation and the Punjab Nagar Palika Karmchari Sangathan. During these high-level meetings, which were attended by Local Government Minister Dr Ravjot Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department Tejveer Singh, Director Kulwant Singh, CEO of PMIDC Deepti Uppal, Special Secretary Finance Ajay Arora, and Additional Secretary Personnel Gautam Jain, the Finance Minister discussed in detail with both organisations their demands and concerns.
Based on these discussions, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema directed the Local Government Department to prepare a report addressing the demands and problems of these employees and present it to the Cabinet Sub-Committee for their swift resolution. He specifically asked that the report mention the diseases and health challenges being faced by the sewermen.
Representatives who presented their views in the meetings included State Chairman Chandan Grewal, President Vinod Kumar Bitta, Vice Chairman Surinder Tona, State General Secretary Pawal Godyal, and Secretary Sunny Sahota from the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation. From the Punjab Nagar Palika Karmchari Sangathan, General Secretary Kulwant Singh Saini, Senior Vice Presidents Gopal Thapar, Somnath Aadiya, Lalit Kumar, Sarwan Singh, Kaushal Kumar, and Boota Ram were present.