Several labourers working in Bunder demonstrated in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday demanding repair of roads in Bunder. The protest was held under the aegis of Bunder Shramikara Sanghatane, which is affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Union Congress.
The labourers came in a rally from Bunder with their push carts. “We organised this demonstration to highlight the difficulties faced by the labourers working in Bunder,” said CITU District Secretary Vasanta Achari.
Addressing the protesters, B.K. Imtiyaz of Democratic Youth Federation of India said labourers had been paying a high price working on the bad roads in Bunder.
He said a labourer suffered a facture in his leg a few weeks ago when he fell into a pothole while carrying a load on his back. He said for nearly a week, authorities had not bothered to stop the overflow of sewage near Bombay Hotel. Demonstrations seeking repairing and asphalting of the roads fell on deaf ears.
Mr. Imtiyaz said Deputy Speaker and Mangalore South MLA N. Yogish Bhat had promised that roads in the area would be asphalted within a week when he visited a shop here during Deepavali. But so far, Mr. Bhat had not fulfilled the promise, he alleged.
Mr. Achari said they were forced to hold the demonstration as they wanted to bring out the plight of people working in Bunder, which was the hub of economic activity in Mangalore.
An intensive protest would be carried out if authorities did not act, he added.
