Innovative protest by ‘104’ employees

Ongole: The Prakasam district unit of Chandranna Sanchara Chikitsa (104) Employees Union continued its protest in front of the district collectorate for the fourth day, demanding that the government deliver justice to their staff who was killed in an accident at Vizianagaram. They also wanted the government to provide insurance, maintenance to the 104 service vehicles in the state.

The union district president, K Hanumantha Rao and General secretary K Surendra Babu explained that the 104 service was introduced by the government in 2008 and was maintained by a private organisation, HMRI.

Later, the government took over the service by appointing the employees with rule of reservation, and maintained it successfully until April 21, 2016 through the district medical and health officers in the district as the HMRI were involved in cheating. Though the HMRI was blacklisted, the government handed over the service to PSMRI, the renamed organisation of HMRI. Since then, the PSMRI was not providing maintenance to the 104 service vehicles and insurance.

The union leaders said that on April 14, 2018, a 104 vehicle in Vizianagaram district met with an accident with a RTC bus and the driver and eight months pregnant nurse lost their lives. As there was no insurance to the unfit vehicle, there was no way that the families of the victims got help from the RTC or the insurance company.

Continuing the protest for the fourth day, they sported flowers on the ears and demanded that the government take over the 104 service from the private organization and run it through DMHO and provide salaries as promised as per the GO No 151 and remove ESMA on 104 employees as they were non-emergency service employees.

They also demanded that the government provide compensation to the employees who died with the negligence of the PSMRI and blacklist the company again.

BJP district unit president PV Krishnareddy extended support to the Chandranna Sanchara Chikitsa (104) Employees Union and wanted the government to respond to the demands of them immediately.