Date:30/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/30/stories/2008103059190300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Picketing teachers court arrest

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Close to 1,500 teachers representing various organisations of the teaching fraternity participated in a demonstration that culminated in the arrest of nearly 130 of them on Wednesday.

As part of the indefinite strike call given by the Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisations (JACTO), which entered eighth day on Wednesday, the teachers hit the road by noon and demonstrated their strong resentment against the ‘delay’ in finding solution to their longstanding problems by the Government.

The protesters assembled on Mahatma Gandhi Road in front of Raghavaiah Park and staged a dharna for a while, bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill.

They then headed to the Sub-Collector’s office and resorted to picketing.

Adopting a novel way to display their displeasure, the demonstrators sang anti-government songs composed by the Telugu language pundits among the community.

The main demands of the JACTO include immediate steps for implementation of unified service rules, abolition of apprenticeship system and grant of two notional increments besides consideration of the two-year apprenticeship period for pension.

Following the dharna, nearly 130 of the protesting teachers courted arrest.

“The court has asked the State government and the JACTO to talk out the issues and find a solution so as to end the protest by Thursday.

We intend to continue the agitation and as part of it, we will gherao the district Ministers on Thursday and take out massive rallies in all district headquarters across the State,” said P.V.B. Sudhakar, JACTO convener for Krishna district.

The teachers are gearing up for a massive rally at Machilipatnam on Thursday, he said.