EMPLOYEES OF various government departments took out a massive torchlight rally here on Tuesday in protest against the government’s apathetic attitude towards fulfilling their long pending demands. The rally was taken out on the call of State Employees’ Joint Council UP.
The employees demonstrated at the district magistrate’s office and handed over an 18-point charter of demands (addressed to the Chief Minister) to the city magistrate RK Singh in absence of the DM. District unit president Hanuman Prasad Srivastava led the rally and demonstration.
Speakers at the rally threatened the government that if their demands were not fulfilled soon, they would resort to a half-day work boycott on November 28 and 29. They also threatened to go on a one-day strike on December 14 along with Central Government staff. Among the departments who joined the rally were Government Press, Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, Labour, Trade Tax, Irrigation, Transport, Agriculture, Treasury, Panchayati Raj, Local Fund Audit, Education, Health and Public Works Departments. The state staff’s demands include merger of 50% DA with basic pay and its consequential benefits, hike in house rent allowance as per 2001 census, resumption of leave encashment etc.