SILCHAR, July 31 - Even after the prolonged State-wide agitation by the civic body workers, there has been no response from the government on their demands for implementation of pension, recruitment of staff on compassionate grounds and regularization of daily wage workers. The ongoing protest has made life difficult for the denizens to cope with the mounting garbage spreading stink across the town.
On the other hand, the Cachar district administration has conveyed the message about the Essential Services Maintenance (ESMA) Act of Parliament of India which was established to ensure the delivery of certain services, which if obstructed would affect the normal life of the people. Deputy Commissioner S Viswanathan said that the message has been communicated to the municipal employees and hope that good faith prevails and they get back to work. If they do not return to work, things will be done as per provisions. �
In the backdrop, a meeting with the citizens of Silchar was held at the office of the Silchar Municipal Board. In the meeting presided over by eminent citizen Haridas Dutta, Avinash Bhattacharjee, president of All Assam Civic Bodies Workers� Federation vividly narrated the plight of the municipal employees which compelled them to resort to agitation. �Our main demand is provincialisation of service of the municipal employees through the implementation of the decision taken by the Cabinet in the meeting held on September 4, 2013 following the recommendations of the committee of group of ministers,� Bhattacharjee maintained.
The members in the meeting echoed that due to the unwarranted delay in implementing the decision in provincialisation of service of the civic employees due to the bureaucratic red tapism, the municipal employees have chosen to extend their protest. The employees urged upon Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to take immediate steps to solve the stalemate in the greater interest of the taxpaying people.
