Workers stir may hit arsenic-free water supply, fear PHE officials

MALDA, 8 DEC: Contractual workers demanding regularisation of jobs, today assaulted PHE officials during a demonstration programme. They also manhandled the head clerk of the office. Public health engineering department officials believe protests by contractual workers appointed in the arsenic free water treatment plant at Mathurapur in Manikchak block, might disrupt distribution of arsenic free water supply in three blocks of Malda district . The contractual workers have been demanding regularisation of their job for quite some time. They observed ceasework in support of their demand today. According to PHE officials, only one worker turned up today to purify the water lifted from the Fulohar river for distribution.The executive engineer PHE (civil) arsenic, Malda division, Mr Swapan Maitra said over phone from Kolkata that he had asked the assistant engineers to accept the agitators’ memorandum and urge them to resume duty to maintain a continuous water supply.“It is very difficult to accept the demand of the contractual workers. The government has appointed contractors to run the pump houses including the treatment plant and intake point for lifting water from the river. They are the contractors’ staff. How can they claim permanent government service?” Mr Maitra said. “We have been facing workers’ problem at the treatment plant. We have failed to discipline them. They do not bother to follow the security system at the main gate of the treatment plant and neither do they sign the attendance register,” the official added. Though the PHE has appointed contractors for the maintenance work, the contractors have appointed local workers in turn according to political recommendations and now they are demanding permanent government service.;SNS