ASHA workers’ protest throws traffic out of gear in city

Kolkata: Several Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers blocked key thoroughfares in Esplanade and Salt Lake on Wednesday, after police stopped their march to the Health department headquarters to press for various demands, including a hike in minimum monthly honorarium.

The protesters, who arrived from different districts, were initially stopped in the morning as they emerged from Sealdah and Howrah railway stations.

Reportedly, around 1,000 ASHA later regrouped at Esplanade and Karunamoyee in Salt Lake and attempted to resume the march, only to be halted again by the police.

In Salt Lake, some protesters reportedly attempted to scale barricades and enter the Swasthya Bhawan premises, leading to a scuffle with police personnel.

Similar scenes were witnessed at Dorina Crossing, where the agitators tried to break barricades. Reportedly, vehicular traffic in parts of Kolkata and the northeastern satellite township of Salt Lake remained disrupted for over two hours, as the protesters sat on the roads. Several ASHA workers were detained from Esplanade and Salt Lake after they refused to disperse, with police terming the gathering illegal due to lack of prior permission.

DC (Central) Indira Mukherjee said the protesters were obstructing traffic on S N Banerjee Road in Esplanade. “Commuters are inconvenienced. We have to keep one flank of the road open,” she said. On Tuesday, Minister of State (MoS) for Health department, Chandrima Bhattacharya, during a Press conference, had said that the ASHA and Anganwadi workers should not “fall into the trap of a political party which is using them for their vested interest”.

In the afternoon, a team consisting of four ASHA workers were allowed to submit a deputation. After the deputation, the ASHA workers dispersed around 7:30 pm.

About two weeks ago, ASHA workers had staged a protest outside Sasthya Bhavan on the same issue.