ITANAGAR, Oct 11 - Employees of the Arunachal Pradesh Government today launched a two-day non-cooperation agitation in the form of a �pen and tool down� strike to protest against the non-fulfilment of their various demands.
The State Government employees� apex body � Confederation of Services Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) � has been demanding the State Government to grant allowances as per the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations in toto. The ruling BJP Government has expressed its inability to do so, citing the precarious financial position of the State.
The CoSAAP�s demands include grant of house rent allowance (HRA), tough location allowance (TLA), non-practising allowance for doctors, children�s education allowance, transport allowance, non-teaching allowance for teachers, allowances for all categories of nurses and uniform allowances for all uniformed personnel, implementation of new TA/DA rules, immediate restoration of All India Medical Attendance Rules, etc.
However, the State Government has conceded to provide HRA (at the rate of 8 per cent of the present basic pay) to Group C employees only as per the 7th CPC recommendations. Group A and Group B employees will continue to get HRA at 10 per cent of their old basic pay as per the 6th CPC report. The Government also agreed that the TLA would be increased by Rs 1,000 for employees posted in �hard areas� and Rs 500 for employees posted in �soft areas� as defined by the Government.
The CoSAAP, however, has rejected the �partial� fulfilment of its demands and resorted to the phase-wise pen and tool down agitation despite a strong warning from the Government about initiation of disciplinary action and deduction of one day�s salary of the agitating employees.
Meanwhile, the CoSAAP has claimed 100 per cent success of its agitation, as per reports received from various offices in the Capital Complex and the districts. It condemned the Government�s move to deduct one day�s salary and invoke provisions of the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 and the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965.
�The order of the Government to punish its employees on the pretext of financial constraints is baseless and an eyewash with the clear intention to suppress and thwart the rightful activities and to divide and rule the united employees� movement,� the CoSAAP maintained.