AGARTALA: Mounting public anger over economic distress, high electricity tariffs, and labor reforms took center stage in the capital today as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Sadar Sub-divisional Committee organized a massive protest rally. Thousands of working-class citizens, trade union activists, and local laborers marched through the major thoroughfares of Agartala, raising a unified voice against what they termed “anti-worker administrative policies.”
The massive demonstration focused on a multi-point charter of demands directly affecting the livelihood of everyday laborers and the general public.
The core demands highlighted by the CITU leadership during the protest included:
- Abolition of Anti-Worker Labor Codes: The immediate rollback of the central government’s amended labor codes, which critics claim systematically dilute employees’ rights and increase working hours.
- Scrapping of Smart Electricity Meters: An immediate halt to the installation of smart prepaid electricity meters and a substantial reduction in power tariffs to relieve financially burdened consumers.
- Reinstatement of the Old REGA Scheme with ₹700 Daily Wage: Dismantling the “G-Ram-G” program and restoring the traditional REGA framework, alongside raising the minimum daily wage to ₹700 to match current inflation rates.
- Control on Price Rises: Swift administrative measures to check the skyrocketing prices of essential food items and petroleum products.
- Immediate Urban Road Infrastructure Repairs: Accelerated reconstruction and repair of Agartala’s dilapidated and heavily damaged public roads, which are posing severe safety hazards to daily commuters.
The highly charged rally, winding from central Agartala, eventually concluded with a massive street demonstration. Addressing the gathering, senior CITU committee organizers stated that the current economic policies have pushed ordinary families, especially daily wage earners and rural workers, to the brink of survival.
”The introduction of smart meters and the inflation in essential fuels and groceries have made daily sustenance impossible for the poor. Parallelly, replacing standard rural employment schemes has slashed the security of our laborers. We demand that the state administration immediately step in, guarantee a minimum wage of ₹700, and repair the ruined public roads. Our movement will only intensify if these basic demands are left unaddressed,” a leading CITU representative stated on the ground.
The demonstration remained entirely peaceful, though the massive turnout briefly disrupted traffic on central routes. A formal memorandum detailing the list of demands was subsequently submitted to the sub-divisional administration for immediate action.
