Udupi: A huge protest was staged by hundreds of building construction and other workers affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) against the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the district administration in solving the sand problem that exists in the district. The protest was held near Clock Tower on 26th July, Wednesday.
The dharna was held demanding immediate solution to the sand extraction problem in the district and better facilities for them. The procession was about to go to the office of Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State of Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, at the Taluk Panchayat. However, police stopped the agitators near Diana Circle.
State Building and Other Construction Workers' Association state secretary Suresh Kallagar raised the issue by stating that the district administration has utterly failed to tackle the sand crisis in the district, which has resulted in thousands of labourers and their families struggling for livelihood.
Addressing the protesters, Balakrishna Shetty, secretary of the district unit of CPI(M), said that it was over a year now that the sand extraction problem in the district had not been solved. This has affected the livelihood of the construction workers and also resulted in shortage of sand in the district.
He further stated that though the board collected Rs. 5,650 crore through cess and enrollment, only Rs. 177 crore was spent for their welfare in the last 11 years.
“The government should provide Provident Fund and housing facilities to construction workers. Their monthly pension should be hiked from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 3,000”, Mr. Shetty said.
“A state-level protest will be held on 4th September in Bengaluru demanding for the minimum wages of Rs 18,000”, he added.