Ghz electricity dept's contractual labourers stage protest

Contractual labourers of the electricity department here staged a demonstration outside the Chief Engineer's office today demanding direct payment of their salaries and removal of middle men.
The protesters, under the aegis of 'Vidhuyut Mazdoor Panchayat', blocked the office's main gate by staging a sit-in dharna to press for their demands.
Later, they handed over to the District Magistrate a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in which they demanded the removal of intermediaries so that payment to contract labours is made directly.
The labourers alleged that the mediators took most of the money and they received hardly anything as salaries.

They also demanded that old employees should be regularized on the pattern of 'shiksha mitras', temporary teachers engaged by the state government.
There are approximately 400 temporary contractual labours working with the electricity department, Vidhuyut Mazdoor Panchayat President Som Prakash Sharma said.