Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: Employees of the 108 Ambulance service today staged a demonstration at Lower PMG Square demanding withdrawal of cases against the Odisha 108 Ambulance Employees' Union president Manoj Sahu who was arrested by Balangir police in connection with a SC/ST atrocity case filed by Dhaneswar Tirkey, head of the service in west Odisha.
Ambulance services have been badly affected in 17 districts across the state since Monday when the association started their indefinite agitation. The association also demanded fulfilment of their 16-point charter of demands, which include better and timely payment of remuneration. Ziqita Health Care Limited has been assigned as the private service provider.
"The ambulances are not maintained properly. As a result, the staffs are forced to ply these dangerously. Most of the ambulances face a risk of tyre burst. Whenever we make any complaint, the private service provider threatens us," alleged general secretary of the union Vivekananda Nayak.
On Sunday, Balangir police had arrested Sahu on the basis of a complaint filed by Dhaneswar Tirkey, head of Ziqita Health Care Limited in west Odisha. Tirkey had alleged Sahu of abusing and threatening him during a grievance meeting with the crewmembers of the ambulance.
The union members said that around 240 ambulances had been kept off the roads out of around 420 ambulances in 17 districts across the state.
"Our employees have also submitted mass resignation in a few districts, including Cuttack and Balangir. Our service provider has been neglecting around 2,800 employees who are working as drivers, helpers and emergency medical technicians," said Nayak.
The agitators also demanded double payment for doing over time. " We have been running these emergency vehicles for more than 12 hours but we are not getting the remuneration as per The Labour Act. Besides there should be a single day for grievance in district levels and the officials involved in misbehaving with the staffs should be suspended," demanded an agitator.
On the other hand, state head of Ziqita Health Care Limited Sabyasachi Biswal appealed the ambulance employees to resume duty. "The arrest was the fallout of a personal dispute between the two of them. The matter is not related to the management," said Biswal.
Teachers' strike
Block grant teachers today said that they would turn their strike into a state-wide agitation and ensure the BJD is voted out of power in 2019 general elections if their demands were not met. Their strike entered its sixth day today. Disappointed over the silence of the state government, the teachers said that they had high hopes that the chief minister would listen to their demands.
