Staff reporter
ITANAGAR, Jul 5: The All Arunachal Pradesh Workers’ Union (AAPWU) on Sunday appealed to the workers in the Itanagar capital region (ICR) and Doimukh to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by the state government with regard to the weeklong lockdown starting 6 July.
Welcoming the government’s decision to impose the lockdown to check the spike in Covid-19 cases, AAPWU president Taku Tagu in a press briefing here urged the workers to take all necessary precautions like wearing masks, maintaining social distance, using sanitizers, and washing hands frequently.
Tagu, however, advocated exempting departments like the PHE, power, highway and health, and the Itanagar Municipal Corporation from the purview of the lockdown “to provide protective equipment like masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, shoes, etc, to the workers.”
“Besides providing proper protective equipment to the workers on duty, these departments should also create awareness on Covid-19. Many workers are still unaware about the precautions they should take and therefore do not follow them,” Tagu said, adding that the departments should take full responsibility for the safety of the workers.
The AAPWU also requested the state government not to effect transfer and posting of contingency workers attached to the government departments in the state during the lockdown period.
“We appeal to the department concerned to refrain from transfer and posting of contingency staffers during this lockdown. Fresh transfers and postings will only increase their troubles further,” AAPWU general secretary (HQ) Tadar Dowa said.
Informing that the AAPWU is affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Dowa said that the union would form an inquiry panel of its own to review the workers’ grievances and approach the state government and the departments for redress after the lockdown.
The weeklong lockdown in the ICR and Doimukh starts at 5 pm of 6 July and will be in place till 5 am of 13 July.
