Dehradun, 10 Nov: Thousands of UPNL employees from across Uttarakhand gathered in Dehradun today and began an indefinite sit-in protest outside the Parade Ground. They are demanding regularisation of their services. Around 22,000 employees engaged through the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) in various state government departments have decided to go on a complete strike, accusing the government of ignoring their long-pending demands.
Anil Gusain, District President of the UPNL Employees Federation, Rudraprayag, said that all 22,000 UPNL employees across different departments have boycotted work from today. He also reminded that, in 2018, the Nainital High Court had directed the State Government to regularise all UPNL employees in a phased manner and blamed the state government and the bureaucracy of failing to do this. Gusain added that, instead of implementing the order, the government had chosen to challenge it in the Supreme Court. In 2024, the apex court dismissed the appeal, yet the employees’ demand remains unfulfilled.
He further reminded that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced on several occasions that a concrete policy framework was being drafted for the regularisation of UPNL employees and that work was underway to bring them into regular service. However, even after eight months, no Government Order (GO) has been issued, leaving employees uncertain about their future.
Azad Singh, District General Secretary of the UPNL Employees Organisation in Uttarkashi, said that employees deployed in key sectors such as Health, Education, Energy, Forest, Irrigation, Administration, and Technical Services have all joined the strike. He added that despite repeatedly raising the issue of regularisation, the government has continued to neglect their demands. He urged immediate inclusion of all UPNL workers in regular state service.
At Dehradun’s Doon Hospital, the largest government medical facility in the state, patients faced considerable inconvenience as services were disrupted due to the absence of UPNL staff. Long queues were seen at registration and billing counters, while operations in several departments were hampered. Ward boys, nurses, pharmacists, data entry operators, and sanitation workers deployed through UPNL also joined the strike, resulting in major delays in patient care.
However, on the other hand, Doon Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr RS Bisht denied reports of disruption, asserting that all health services continued smoothly. He said that the extra crowd in the hospital today was due to it being the first Monday of the week, when patient turnout usually exceeds 3,000. He added that alternative arrangements had been made by assigning additional duties to other staff members before the strike began. Bisht maintained that the protest had no significant impact on hospital operations.
The indefinite strike by UPNL employees has sparked concern across departments, as their absence could severely affect public services if the deadlock continues. According to sources, services across key departments and institutions like hospitals and power supply offices have been disrupted due to the strike. So far there has been no official attempt by the government or the officials to reach out to the striking UPNL employees or to bring them to the table for talks.
