A group of mill workers were arrested here today after they tried to enter Maharashtra Chief Minister's official residence called 'Varsha' to protest against the delay in resolving the issue of housing for mill workers, an official said here today.
Comrade Datta Isawalkar and 27 others were arrested at 2.30 PM near the Chief Minister's bungalow and taken to the Lamington Road police station, the official said.
Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Krishna Prakash said that the protestors had no permission to assemble near the house where the group had reached in taxis for the illegal gathering.
"We have not lathi-charged anyone," he said.
Meanwhile, the Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti protested at Grant Road station demanding that the chief minister must take a stand on the housing issue faced by mill workers, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sachin Ahir said at the protest venue.
An activist at the protest venue said neither the number of houses for mill workers nor how they would be distributed is being discussed by the Maharashtra government.
"The number of houses are not adequate. There are 1.5 lakh beneficiaries though there are only 7,000 houses," activist Shweta Damle told reporters.
Labour leader and editor of Marathi newspaper Jayshree Khadilkar said the chief minister has not bothered to give a time to discuss the issue.
"We have had discussions with his private secretary Pravin Darade but nothing has been resolved," she said.
