DIBRUGARH, Jan 23 � The massive exercise for National Census and National Population Register (NPR) is likely to be affected in the district here, with the government employees, mostly teachers refusing to perform the national duty during the second phase in protest against district administration�s failure to pay the first phase remuneration to the government employees.
The first phase, which included houselisting and housing census was conducted between April and July in 2010. The details required for creating the NPR was also canvassed during this phase. The second phase called the Population Enumeration phase would be conducted simultaneously all over the country on February 9-28, 2011. However, teachers who took part in workshops for conducting the second phase in designated schools under respective revenue circles Thursday have threatened to boycott the national task in case their previous remuneration is not paid immediately.
About four hundred teachers in Tingkhong circle did not even participate in the training workshop held at Rajgarh Higher Secondary School and Tingkhong Higher Secondary School. It needs mention here that the election cell of the district administration here had collected the account numbers of the teachers after the completion of the first phase census, promising them that their dues would be transferred to their accounts.
According to Purnanada Saikia, assistant teacher, the concerned department had even collected the signatures of the teachers across revenue stamps on December 23 last, again assuring the teachers that the money would be deposited to their personal accounts. However, not a single teacher has received the pay for their first phase work.
The deprived teachers here told The Assam Tribune that they would take up the national duty of conducting the remaining phase of the census immediately after they are paid their dues.
