AP Contract Electricity Employees Arrested
Gandhinagar (Vijayawada Central): The Police officials took the contract electricity workers from 13 districts who took up the 'Chalo Amaravati' program to resolve their legitimate demands into custody on Tuesday. The Contract Electricity Workers from Transco, Genco, Discom launched the 'Chalo Amaravati' program seeking Regularization of service, the abolition of the piece-rate system and also merge the workers at the Electric Department. Thousands of workers from all over the state participated in the program at Dharna Chowk.
Stating that they have been working as contract employees for over 20 years, the contractual workers urged the government to consider their demands and sought for a positive decision at the State Cabinet Meeting.
They further demanded that the government representatives or management should come to Dharna Chowk and resolve their issues.
Taking up the agitation, the workers sought for employment security for four-and-a-half years and also fulfillment of the promises made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Expressing their angst over the government's indifference to their demands, they lashed out at Chandrababu, who without implementing the promises made in the previous elections is busy setting up committees for no reason.
With no response from the government, the workers launched the protest from Dharna Chowk and planned to lead the agitation to Amaravati. However, the heavily-deployed police obstructed the contract workers' protest and held them in the police vehicles. Following this, a huge confrontation took place between the police and the workers, who kept shouting slogans against Chandrababu. The workers were arrested and shifted to Vuyyuru, Pamidimukkala, Nunna police stations.
Speaking in this regard, the Contract Workers United Forum Chairman Balakasi said that the government is behaving irrationally adding that the police is arresting the workers for asking the government to implement the promises made during the elections.
He further warned that they will have to bear the consequences in the upcoming elections.
AP Contracting and Outsourcing Employees Association JAC Chairman, AP Nageswara Rao said that the workers who are protesting are being arrested unlawfully. He further stated that the government has cheated them and demanded to immediately resolve their problems.
