Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Nov 25: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) commenced an indefinite ‘dharna’ on Tuesday November 25, near DC office premises at Rajathadri Manipal seeking the fulfillment of demands of construction workers.

A big ruckus was raised by the Udupi district construction and other construction labourers’ co-ordination committee who held a dharna condemning the irregularity in provisions offered by the Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.

B Umesh, Karnataka State Construction Workers’ Federation, in his address, said, “All political parties like BJP, Congress, and JD(S) claim to provide some special facilities to labourers only for getting publicity.” He criticized and said, “There is a lack of political willingness to meet the demands of the deprived classes.”

He said that all workers’ income goes to the treasury of the Welfare Board in the form of tax, but it is a really bad thing that the government hesitates to provide fundamental facilities.

The committee’s demands are as follows:

- Scholarship should be approved for labourers’ children

- There should not be any changes in present criteria relating to the scholarship

- The government has to consider the registration code of ‘Gurupatra’
while approving the scholarships

- The government has to take up immediate measures regarding facilitation of
direct incentives for beneficiaries who are incapable of affording medical expenses

- To analyze and clear the received applications regarding marriage incentives at the right time

- Provide pension for adults (at the age 55 year) according to the board’s commitment

- Provide an immediate index for housing loan for who have completed five-year membership

- To recruit at least two staff on the board for management

Balakrishna Shetty, CITU secretary, Suresh Kallagar, district committee convener, U Dasu Bhandary, Rama Karkad, Vijendra Kone, Ramachandra Navuda, and Vittal Pujary were present.