(Tribune)
Following the assurance of Mandi MP Ramswaroop Sharma, the 11-day stalemate between Rohtang tunnel workers and company officials ended on Friday.As many as 700 construction workers had stalled work, accusing the company of violationg the labour rights. They alleged that they were being forced to work overtime, that too on a fixed amount. Hygiene eluded the place where they lived, they lamented.Since the first day of the strike, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the nodal agency of the Rohtang tunnel project, and construction company AFCONS officials have been pacifying the protesting workers, but the latter did not relent.
The work was awarded to AFCONS Infrastructure Limited in September 2009. The BRO is the overall in-charge of the project. President of the construction workers’ union Dharmendar said following the intervention of MP Ramswaroop Sharma and the BRO, the protest had been called off. He said: “They have assured us to consider our demands and we will resume work on Saturday.”
