Over 100 dependents of 25 deceased employees of coal town civic body, Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) sitting on Dharna for last 38 days outside the JMADA headquarters demanding job on compassionate ground today took out a rally from Dharna site to Randhir Verma Chowk near the district headquarters.

The protestors, carrying out the protest under the banner of JMADA Mrit Karmchari Ashrit Sangh who were holding banners, posters, placards etc during the rally also shouted slogans against the JMADA administration and later also staged demonstrations at Randhir Verma Chowk.

Talking to media, at demonstration site, Md Ajaharuddin Khan son of a deceased disinfector of JMADA, Md Mujuibuddin who died during the service period on December 21, 2015, “We have been protesting against the false promises made several times earlier by JMADA administration since February 22 this year by staging Dharna but all our demands have fallen into deaf’s ear forcing us to take out rally today along with our children and other family members.”

“The present administration of JMADA led by Satyendra Kumar, Managing Director instead of providing jobs to us only repeated the assurance of his predecessors forcing us to intensify the agitation” said Khan.

Citing his own example of precarious financial condition of protesters, he said, “I am finding it difficult to plan the marriage of two of my younger sisters due to lack of money and also manage the educational expense of two younger brothers due to lack of any permanent source of income” and added that they would be compelled to intensity their strike gradually by staging hunger strike and later immolating themselves along with their family members."

Echoing sentiments, Md Mehrabul Ansari another protester, who is son of deceased health supervisor of JMADA, Abdul Kalim Anasari said, “We have been given written assurance by then MD of JMADA Sashidhar Mandal during 2017 to launch out employment process since January 2018 but no headway in this regard is yet to made.”

Notably, agitating employees yesterday had a meeting with the JMADA MD, Satyendra Kumar in the leadership of Dhanbad MLA, Raj Sinha and Kumar sought 120 days time to complete the documentation process for initiating their employment process.

“The issue has been lingering over 12 years and can’t be solved in one day as we have to identify the post as per the educational qualification of dependents and after that the employment processes would be initiated on the recommendation of a committee,” said Kumar.