NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Sept 7 - In all, 52 agitating drivers and other workers of 108 Mrityunjay and 102 National Ambulance Services of the State Health Department were arrested yesterday for not attending their duties.
The employees have been on an agitation since Wednesday and demanding regularisation of their posts, release of increased salary due from 2016, to reduce duty hours from 12 hours to 8 hours as per the Labour Act, to stop arbitrary transfer and firing of employees by the assigned company of GVK-EMRI and encashment of earned leave from 2015-16, unpaid after release of only 10 per cent.
The agitating 108, 102 employees were arrested under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) by police in the presence of a magistrate.
It may be mentioned that 108 Mrityunjay is a free ambulance service to pick up sick and medical emergency patients from their homes under the National Health Mission. Similarly, 102 National Ambulance Service is also a free 24 X 7 emergency service for one facility to other facility for further advanced treatment. It was introduced in the State in 2013. Both the ambulance services are run by the Hyderabad-based GVK-EMRI group under Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.
