Security personnel block the way of agitating para-teachers at Morabadi, in Ranchi, on Tuesday. File Picture

Ranchi, Oct. 6: Agitating para-teachers have called a statewide bandh on Friday to press for their demands of job assurance till the age of 60, increase in honorarium from the Rs 5,000 they get at present to Rs 18,000 per month, which is on par with what government teachers get and training for their untrained colleagues.

They also refused to pay heed to the request of chief minister Arjun Munda to call off their ongoing agitation and give him two months time to resolve the issue.

At a meeting held in the state capital today, the para-teachers decided to intensify their agitation. The bandh is a part of their new strategy to pressurise the state government to accept their demands.

Binod Behari Mahto, secretary of Jharkhand Para-teachers Association said they were organising the bandh as the state government had failed to heed their demands. The association requested the people to co-operate with them in their protest.

Yesterday, the para-teachers had thrown normal life out of gear in the state capital as they tried to reach the chief minister’s residence to gherao it in support of their demands. They brought the state capital to a halt as their agitation and barricades put up by the district administration to stop them led to huge traffic snarls in the city.

Well over 90,000 para-teachers have been recruited by block authorities on the recommendation of gram siksha samiti under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan since 2000.

Last year, the para-teachers had taken recourse to protests after which their honorarium was increased to Rs 5000 per month from Rs 3500.

This year, they have been protesting since mid-August.