Revenue staff likely to call off stir

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 29. The 19-day-old revenue employees' strike is likely to be called off anytime tonight with most of the demands having been conceded. The only hitch remained application of the `no work, no pay' norm to the striking employees.

The talks between the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by the Revenue Minister, Mr. P. Ashok Gajapati Raju, and consisting two of his colleagues - Mr. T. Seetaram and Mr. K. Srihari - and leaders of the AP Revenue Employees Association, continued today throughout the afternoon. The decision on payment for the strike period got stuck as the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, was not available and no decision could be taken independently.

Having convinced the employees about its inability to take any decision on the ratio of promotions between the direct recruits and the promotees due to a recent judgment of the SC, the Government urged the employees to call off their agitation. The employees have been demanding the implementation of GO 990 of 1992 in this regard.

As far as the `no work, no pay' norm was concerned, the Government maintained that it was in line with the policy applied in the past when employees of the Singareni Collieries and the erstwhile APSEB had gone on strike.

The other demands that have been conceded include supply of vehicles to MROs in a phased manner, upgradation of posts of junior assistant into computer operators depending upon the need, continuing the revenue staff in Civil Supplies Department, excluding the revenue employees from deputation duty to other programmes like Janmabhoomi if the current strength was not raised and increasing additional cadres, if needed.

The Government also agreed to constitute a committee headed by an IAS officer to study the functioning of the Revenue Department to strengthen it and solve the problems of the staff.

About 17,000 employees have gone on strike with the above demands. There was fear that the agitation would create hurdles in the implementation of the drought relief work. Several trade unions wrote to the Chief Minister to settle the issue at the earliest and, if not, threatened to support the agitation. The Opposition parties urged the Government to concede the demands.

The striking employees were in for a shock when their leader, Mr. T. Sudhakar Prasad, died on Thursday in a road accident while touring the State in the process of leading the agitation.

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Section  : Southern States
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