Vijayawada: Municipal workers bid to lay siege to Collectorate foiled

Vijayawada: The police arrested at least 120 municipal workers and union leaders when hundreds of workers tried to lay siege to the Collectorate here on Monday. The municipal workers have been on strike for the last 14 days.

The municipal workers announced on Sunday that they are going to lay siege to all the Collector offices across the State on Monday. The police, in order to foil the attempt of the municipal workers, dragged them away from the Collectorate and the arrested workers and leaders were shifted to various police stations across the city. In the melee, several workers sustained injuries and two women workers became unconscious.

CPM leaders Ch Babu Rao, K Umamaheswara Rao, Donepudi Kasinath, Satya, Babu and others were among the arrested. Babu Rao sustained head injury.

Several hundreds of workers gathered before the One Town police station demanding the release of the arrested leaders. After 2 pm, the arrested leaders were released. The injured women workers - Vangala Kumari and Sita - were shifted to the government hospital for treatment.

Later, addressing the gathering, the CPM leaders said that the government has been adamant to solve the problems of the municipal workers. They said that Chief Minister Jagan had gone back on his promise that the service of the contract workers would be regularised.

They lambasted the Chief Minister for instigating the police against the municipal workers who belonged to weaker sections. They warned the State government that the agitation would be intensified if the problems were not resolved as early as possible.