|
|
Non gazetted employees sit on a dharna at the district collectorate on Monday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta
|
Patamda resident Ajay Mahto (42) travelled 25km to Jamshedpur on Monday to apply for a driving licence at the district transport office. He stood in queue from 9am, only to be told around 10.30am that there was a strike and one should return only after reading in newspapers that the strike had been withdrawn.
An indefinite strike by non-gazetted employees in protest against an assault on a clerical staffer last week inconvenienced hundreds of people on Monday.
The East Singhbhum unit of Non Gazetted Employees Association had decided on a pen down strike on Thursday, but heeding the request of East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Himani Pande had decided to entertain work related to those appearing for the army recruitment drive that ended on Sunday.
The employees were expressing their anger over the assault of clerk Babulal Tuddu by JMM district president Ramesh Hansdah on Wednesday evening following an altercation on the language of a certificate.
The JMM leader had wanted the certificate in English while the staff had given a Hindi certificate.
Around 2,500 employees in subdivisions, block and sadar offices joined the stir.
A delegation of non gazetted employees union led by district unit president A.K. Mishra met East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Himani Pande over the issue but only received a verbal assurance that the administration had sent a letter to East Singhbhum SSP Akhilesh Jha for arresting of the culprit.
The strike affected all government offices based at the district collectorate, in 11 block and circles offices and also in two subdivisions of Ghatshila and Jamshedpur.
|
