Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 4 : The All Assam 108 Mrityunjoy Employees Association, comprising ambulance drivers and technicians, continue to stage a sit-in protest demonstration demanding regularisation of the jobs and fair wages in the state.
Pranjal Sarma, President of the Association, said that despite working 12 hours a day, workers are paid for only 10 hours. He added that they have rejected the meagre pay appraisal offered to them.
"We work for 12 hours a day but get wages for only 10 hours. We are deployed on duty even on holidays or during times of emergencies. We have rejected the meagre amount of pay appraisal which was offered to us," Sarma told ANI.
Earlier today, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi flagged the "poor quality" of NH-37 between Jorhat and Dibrugarh in Assam, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured him of action to improve it.
During Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi referred to a viral video of Nitin Gadkari driving on a highway and alleged that Assam does not have highways as good as the one shown in the video.
Gaurav Gogoi asked, "A video went viral on social media, which showed your car speeding on the highway. We got jealous in Assam as there are toll gates and we cannot drive at 100-130 kmph as the quality (of roads) is so poor. People of Assam are paying tolls but not receiving highways of good quality like in your videos. Especially, from Jorhat to Dibrugarh, NH-37 is in a bad state. The Jhanji part after your intervention is better now, but after that (roads) are bad."
In response, the Union Minister acknowledged that the highway had been damaged by heavy rainfall.
"What the MP said is right. The road was damaged after the rainfall. An enquiry was also conducted, and things were rectified. I believe the road will be fine," Nitin Gadkari told the House.