Date:19/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/19/stories/2006071919430400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Retrenched workers' plea

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The over 1,000 Nominal Muster Roll (NMR) workers, who were working as road workers in the Highways Department for periods ranging from two to 10 years before their retrenchment in 1997, have urged the Government to absorb them as gang mazdoors.

Thanking the Government announcement that they would be given preference during the recruitment of about 4,000 gang mazdoors soon, H. Nambi Subramanian, president of the Tamil Nadu Highways Department NMR Workers Central Welfare Association, said the workers were involved in road maintenance and clearing works for many years.

He said the Association, having a registration number of 54/2000, was based in Tirunelveli district and represented 646 NMRs, including 118 in Tirunelveli, 103 in Salem, 99 in Tuticorin, 83 in Namakkal and 47 in Vellore districts.Association secretary, V. Karuppasamy, said the State Highways Minister, M.P. Saminathan, announced on July 12 that the members would be recruited on preferential basis during appointment of the gang mazdoors.