Actor-politician and Jana Sena President Pawan Kalyan on Sunday highlighted the condition of construction workers in Andhra Pradesh and said that his party would organise a padayatra (foot march) in support of those construction workers, who lost their livelihood, due to the sand policy implemented by the YSRCP.
Dubbing the policy 'chaotic', Pawan claimed that it had put 19.6 lakh workers directly and another one million workers indirectly out of a job and put their families in a state of misery.
"I appeal to the Centre to look into this issue and come to the rescue of 3 million plus construction workers," Pawan Kalyan wrote.
The decision to hold a padayatra was taken at a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Jana Sena Party, which also announced that the march will begin on November 3 or 4 at around 3 pm.
"The negligence of the government is clear when we observe the situation at the sand stock in the capital city area. Many construction workers who came to this point expressed their deep concern at not getting sand," Pawan Kalyan said.
Pawan added, "Now, construction workers are all thrown onto the streets. Their concern should be known to all."
When YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy had come into power, he banned sand mining in the state for a period of three months, reversing the TDP policy until his government took a decision on framing new guidelines.
While the new policy was announced in September, opposition parties allege that the damage had already been done, claiming that several lakh labourers were shunted out of their daily jobs as a result of the ban.
Meanwhile, the Jana Sena party said that it has also set up a sub-committee under the leadership of party General Secretary and PAC member Thota Chandrasekhar.
"It is an effort to clear the tears of building workers and their plight will be brought to the notice of the people. We will question the government and fight till the workers are given justice," Pawan Kalyan said.
He also lashed out at the ruling YSRCP and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
"The main reason for TDP's poll debacle was encouraging the sand mafia. People thought that the situation would change if the YSRCP comes to power. There is not much change except that TDP has gone and YSRCP has come in," Pawan Kalyan added.
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