http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Protesting-RRP-workers-lock-PCMC-gates/articleshow/4610405.cms
Protesting RRP workers lock PCMC gates 3 Jun 2009, 0207 hrs IST, TNN PUNE: Workers of the Rashtriya Republican Party (RRP) on Monday locked the gates of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) main office in Pimpri to protest against officials who have ignored their hunger strike which had been on for the past five days. Women activists of the RRP locked both the gates of the PCMC main office around 12 pm leaving corporators, employees and citizens stranded inside. One of the locked gates was opened around 4.15 pm, while the other was opened after 5.15 pm. The RRP activists have been on a hunger strike near Babasaheb Ambedkar statue in Pimpri, along the Pune-Mumbai highway from May 28. Their demands include rehabilitation of the people affected by floods in 1997 now living at the transit camp in Sector 22 Ota scheme, removal of the existing Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus stand and construction of Babasaheb Ambedkar garden on the open plot behind the Ambedkar statue. Sudhir Jagtap, district president, RRP, is leading the hunger strike. Till the workers became aggressive on Monday, no civic official had visited them to discuss their demands. Later, the condition of one of the activists, Gafar Shaikh, deteriorated due to which the activists became angry. Enraged women workers of the RRP locked both the gates of the PCMC main office building and prevented people from going inside or coming out. Some people tried to climb over the gates, but were prevented from doing so by the workers. Later, representatives of the RRP met municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma and demanded that the flood-affected people be rehabilitated and provided new houses. Sharma said these people need to be shifted to another place so that new buildings could be constructed at the spot for their rehabilitation. He assured that accommodation would be provided to 50 families in the buildings being constructed at Sector 22 under the slum rehabilitation scheme. He also told the flood-affected people to submit some proof showing that they had been affected by the floods and residence proof so that they could be rehabilitated in new houses. Regarding the demand to create Ambedkar garden in Pimpri, Sharma said the open plot was in possession of the PCMC, but was reserved for a bus terminal. The PMPML has been demanding that the plot be transferred to them.
