BJP MP demands restoring services of tribal youths at Statue of Unity

Rajpipla (Gujarat): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Mansukh Vasava has opposed the administrative decision to deploy machines for housekeeping and demanded restoring the services of tribal youths at the Statue of Unity (SOU).

The Bharuch MP Mansukh Vasava has written a letter to the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in this regard.

Vasava told IANS the letter requests the chief minister to reinstate the jobs of tribals. “These youths are local tribals. They or their family members have lost land for the development of the Statue Of Unity Urban Development Authority. Some 150 youths have lost their jobs, because the SOU administration has decided to deploy machine for housekeeping and the contract is given to Vadodara Municipal Corporation,” he said.

He is yet to receive a reply either from the CM’s office or SOU officers. Sources from the SOU office said that Chairman Rajiv Kumar Gupta has instructed the Chief Executive Officer to give work to these youths in the adjacent villages so that they don’t suffer. But the CEO has not executed the instruction so far. When IANS tried to contact CEO and Deputy Collector Nikunj Parikh, he was not reachable and has not responded to IANS messages.

“This is not the first time that tribal youths have lost their land for the development of the Statue of Unity. All those who got jobs were taken on contract by different agencies. Soon after the commissioning of the SOU, 2000 contract workers were retrenched,” alleged Praful Vasava of Adivasi Tribal Sena from Kevadiya.

Vasava said, “Our main demand is regular and permanent jobs and not contractual work, as there is no guarantee, how long one has a job and even the salaries paid are very meagre from Rs 8,000 to 10,000.”