Vikasnagar: Mate, Beldar workers working through outsourcing in various blocks under Uttarakhand Public Works Department have become vocal about their demands. In Dehradun’s Vikasnagar development block, outsourced employees held a one-day symbolic protest and handed over a memorandum of their demands to the Assistant Engineer of Public Works Department Sahiya.
In fact, since the year 2014, the Public Works Department has been employing people on the posts of Mate, Beldar through outsourcing for the maintenance of roads in various development blocks. Outsourced Mate, Beldar Employees Union Public Works Department, Uttarakhand State President Jayendra Singh alleged that private agencies, contractors have committed gross corruption in the payment of workers, EPF, ESI. Along with this, workers are also being harassed by keeping them away from work. In protest against this, the union has continuously sent memorandums to the department, administration, government through written and dharna demonstration movement.
He told that in this case, the union had earlier raised the demand that the contracting system in the Public Works Department should be abolished and the Mate, Beldar workers should be employed through departmental contract, daily wages and hand receipt government agency. The government also took cognizance of this matter and Gem Portal, Prayag Portal were made government agencies for outsourced recruitment. Whose government order was issued by the Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand Government on 11 August 2023.
The union alleges that the departmental officers cited problems in the government order and the government order was not complied with. Due to this, 744 Mate, Beldar workers from all the sections of the Public Works Department became unemployed. In protest against this, a dharna was held for 36 days in Dehradun.
The Chief Engineer, citing the problems in the government order, sent a revised proposal to the government on 11 August 2023 to employ the removed 744 Mate, Beldar workers. A government order was also issued in this matter on 30 March 2025. Despite this, even after 5 months, the government order is not being complied with by the departmental officials.
He said that in protest against the restoration of the services of the workers removed from work, the union was forced to hold a state-level dharna movement today in the office of Executive Engineer Temporary Section Public Works Department Sahiya. After this, all the members of the union will hold the next dharna demonstration in the office of Superintending Engineer Public Works Department, Dehradun. If our demands are not met, an indefinite dharna demonstration will be held.
Assistant Engineer of Public Works Department Sahiya, Radhika Sharma, said that 36 outsourced workers were working on Kalsi Chakrata Motor Road and Haripur Mines Motor Road. Whose full payment has been made by the department. The tender process will be done through the Gem portal. Some technical faults are coming in the Gem portal by the Executive Engineer, which will be fixed soon.
