Forest Department Field Workers Hold State-Level Protest March Towards Finance Minister's Residence in Sangrur

Field workers of the Punjab Forest and Wildlife Department from across the state staged a state-level protest march towards the residence of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in Sangrur. During the demonstration, the protesters raised slogans against the Punjab government while demanding the regularisation of employees who have completed three years of service, along with the fulfilment of several other pending demands. Under the banner of the Democratic Forest Employees Union Punjab, a large number of workers gathered beneath the Dhuri Road overbridge in Sangrur, where they held a protest rally. Later in the afternoon, the protesters began marching towards the Finance Minister's residence. However, police officials set up strict barricades and stopped the march at the Poonia Tower T-Point, where the workers continued raising slogans. Addressing the gathering before the march, State President Rachhpal Singh Yodhanagri, General Secretary Balvir Sivia, and Finance Secretary Balvir Gillanwala alleged that the Punjab government has been delaying the regularisation of contractual employees who have been serving for a long time. They also claimed that employees who have already been regularised have not been provided the benefits available to permanent government employees. The union leaders further stated that the ruling party had promised to regularise employees before coming to power, but the issue has continued to face delays after the formation of the government. They demanded that all employees who have completed three years of service be regularised with full pay scales. Among their other demands, the union sought the inclusion of field workers in the list of hazardous occupations, regularisation of both educated and uneducated workers, calculation of seniority based on 30 days instead of 26 days in a month, implementation of the Punjab Sixth Pay Commission, and the fulfilment of all pending demands raised by the employees.