DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Haryana Chief Secretary has appealed to the protesting Safai Karamcharis and fire brigade employees to call off their strike and join back to their duties while considering their moral responsibility towards the society. "From time to time, the government has accepted the legitimate demands of the employees. Therefore, Safai Karamcharis working in the civic bodies and fire brigade employees should end their strike and discharge their duties with full devotion, said Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal while holding a meeting regarding this issue with Deputy Commissioners and District Municipal Commissioners held through video conferencing here today. Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Local Bodies Department (ULB), Sh. Arun Gupta, Director, ULB, Sh. D.K. Behera and other officers also attended the meeting. Sh. Kaushal said that since ensuring the welfare of every employee is the topmost priority of the State Government, hence as of now Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) will not be enforced. "The government does not want the employees to suffer and the employees should also cooperate with the government. They can always come forward for holding positive talks with the government. If still, the employees do not return to work, then the state government is forced to take strict steps in the public interest, "said Sh. Kaushal. The Chief Secretary said that some employees have returned to work and in some districts, the strike has ended completely. So the rest of the employees should also return to work, he added. Sh. Kaushal directed the Deputy Commissioners and District Municipal Commissioners that efforts should be made to end the strike by holding constant talks with the Safai Karamcharis and fire brigade employees. He said that to ensure that the cleanliness system across the state is not affected during festivals, the Deputy Commissioner can extend the contract period of the old contractor doing door-to-door waste collection whose contract has expired for 2 to 3 months till the new contract is signed. (editor@dailyworld.in)