Himachal govt teachers’ union resents panchayat polls amid pandemic

In any election, more than 80% teachers are deployed on the poll duty.

The Himachal Pradesh Government Teachers’ Union has expressed resentment over the government and the state election department’s decision to hold the panchayat polls amid Covid-19 pandemic.

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The union president Virendra Chauhan in a statement issued here said the government seems to be in a haste to conduct the election even as there has been a community spread of coronavirus in the state.

In any election, more than 80% teachers are deployed on the poll duty. “This may expose the teachers to greater risk of getting infected,” Chauhan said, adding that the election duty is not an easy task as employees have to be in contact with all kinds of people.

He demanded that the government should take the responsibility if any teacher on poll duty gets infected. The government and the election department should also announce compensation if any person dies due to the infection, he added. “Otherwise, the elections should be postponed until the situation normalises,” he said.

Chauhan said virus cases are likely to rise in winters and the union is worried about the well being of teachers. “We hope that the government and state election department will take notice of our genuine concerns,” he said.

The district electoral officers of Shimla, Una, Kullu, Mandi and Hamirpur have issued the reservation roaster for the post of gram panchayat pradhan. The panchayat and urban local bodies (ULB) election are likely to be held in the state in January and announcement is likely be made soon.