Public service at Punjab’s Seva Kendras halts in Ludhiana as strikers get ‘fired’ and replacements line up for low-paid jobs.

Ludhiana: A district-wide labour dispute erupted into public chaos as officials began firing striking workers and hiring low-wage replacements.

The walkout has shut down all 41 govt-run Seva Kendras in the district. These centralised hubs handle hundreds of essential public services daily, including driving licences, property deeds, pension applications, birth and death certificates, and official identity card processing.

An estimated 350 irregular employees, who process up to 300 applications a day at the main city complex and roughly 100 daily at rural branches, launched the strike to oppose stagnant monthly salaries of ₹10,000 to ₹11,000.

“Our salaries remain stagnant while prices keep rising,” said Satnam Singh Kaira, president of the Seva Kender Mulazam Welfare Association. “It is impossible to run a household on ₹10,000. We demand equal pay for equal work and an end to the contract employment system.”

The labour dispute escalated when management issued contract termination notices to 14 striking workers and began interviewing replacement candidates. Police deployed to the main district complex forced protesters to relocate their demonstration to a nearby public park.

The service freeze has left thousands of residents stranded. Visibly frustrated citizens reported making repeated, futile trips to the centres for urgent documents, including property transfers and caste certificates required for employment and education.

“If the staff is underpaid, the govt is at fault,” said local resident Rajiv, who has tried for days to secure a property certificate. “Why should citizens suffer like this?”

Despite the ongoing labour dispute, 40-odd unemployed youths attended replacement interviews and typing tests. Applicants acknowledged the stagnant wage structure but noted that the starting salary of ₹15,000 offered to new hires outperformed other low-wage options in the country’s highly competitive job market.