Cuddapah employees boycott poll work

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, JULY 8. Panchayat election-related work came to a grinding halt from Saturday midnight with all Panchayat Raj and Rural Water Supply engineers, officials and other employees all over Cuddapah district abstaining from work.

The provocation was the alleged abusive and derogatory remarks made by the District Collector, Mr. Adhar Sinha, against the Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad, Mr. V. N. Brahmendra Rao, and the District Panchayat Officer, Dr. G. Sankaraiah, both additional district election authorities, at a meeting here around yesterday midnight.

The CEO and the DPO and other employees sported black badges and squatted in protest on the Zilla Parishad premises. They announced their decision not to take up election-related work as long as the Collector oversaw it and demanded that the State Election Commission and the Government relieve Mr. Sinha, who is the district election authority, of election duties.

At the meeting convened for verification of polling stations, the Collector abused the CEO, DPO and MPDOs by using derogatory words such as `idiots, stupid, puppets' and called the CEO `a donkey, don't open your mouth', alleged the A.P. Panchayat Raj Services Association's Cuddapah district unit in memoranda faxed to the Commissioner and Secretary of the State Election Commission and the Commissioner and Secretary of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development.

When the CEO and the DPO tried to clarify on the polling stations, the Collector became wild and showered abuse at will, they alleged. Stung by the Collector's remarks, the CEO, the DPO and other officials walked out of the meeting. The leaders held an emergency meeting and decided to strike election work until the Collector was transferred. They categorically stated that they would not accept any apology from the Collector.

The Joint Collector, Mr. G. Balaramaiah's efforts to hold discussions with the employees on Sunday evening proved futile with the leaders spearheading the protest refusing to go to the Collector's chambers. Several hundreds of PR officials and employees continued to squat on the ZP premises.

The Collector was not available for comment.

Our Hyderabad Special Correspondent writes:

Even as the Government is taking steps to resolve the stand-off between Mr. Adhar Sinha and the election staff, the SEC resolved to act tough against the agitating employees. The SEC has taken the stand that it is for the Government to take necessary action on allegations levelled by the employees against Mr. Sinha. But, as far as the Commission is concerned, the employees must get on with their duties pending an enquiry into their charges.

It is understood that the Secretary and Commissioner of Panchayat Raj besides the Secretary, GAD (Law and Order), are monitoring the developments. However, the SEC remains unfazed by the threat because it can always deploy staff of the Revenue Department and get election-related work completed by July 15, the polling date for Cuddapah district.

When contacted by ``The Hindu,'' Mr. D. R. Garg, Secretary, SEC, said the agitating staff and officers were under deputation to the Commission for the duration of the elections. Non-performance of duties, obstruction of work and deliberate delays were punishable offences under Section 222 of the A. P. Panchayat Raj Act.

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