Bhubaneswar, June 13: Various sections of employees in the secretariat have been aggrieved over non-fulfilment of their demands.
In the past three days till yesterday, the seat of power had been witnessing tense atmosphere as the disgruntled employees staged demonstrations, forcing the authorities to deploy additional police force. However, the tension has now subsided as today and tomorrow are government holidays.
Yesterday, drivers of the secretariat staged a demonstration, demanding revision of grade pay and regularisation of the casual drivers' services.
On Thursday, members of secretariat branch of the ST/SC Employees' Welfare Coordination Council staged a demonstration in the secretariat corridor, demanding scrapping of the promotion and gradation list. On the other hand, members of the Odisha Secretariat Service Association had staged another dharna in front of the chief secretary's chamber the previous day evening, demanding the immediate publication of the list.
Members of the Odisha Secretariat Motor Workers' Association and the Odisha Government Motor Workers' Association gheraoed additional chief secretary (finance) R. Balakrishnan and urged him to meet their twin demands at the earliest.
Chairman of the joint action committee Bijay Kumar Subudhi said their demands were the long-standing ones. "We have been demanding for the grade pay revision since long. The casual drivers, who have been working for more than 15 to 20 years, are retiring without being made regular," he said.
"If the government does not fulfil our demand within one month, we will intensify our agitation. We will stop driving the vehicles of the chief minister and other ministers," said an agitated driver.
However, official sources said the chief minister had constituted a ministerial committee on March 16 to examine the demands of the drivers. "Their demands will be fulfilled after the scrutiny by the ministerial committee," said a finance department official.
Amid the protests and counter protests by the ST/SC employees and general category staff members, the government issued the promotion order of 44 desk officers to the rank of under secretary in the Odisha Secretariat Service cadre on Thursday.
While the Odisha Secretariat Service Association leaders welcomed the promotion order, the ST/SC Employees Welfare Co-ordination Council opposed it.
Association president Chittaranjan Hota said the general administration department and the law department had vetted the recommendations of the departmental promotion committee, and the chief minister gave his final approval.
On the other hand, the ST/SC council secretary Ananta Kumar Majhi alleged that the general category employees were being promoted illegally by ignoring the Odisha Reservation of Vacancies Act and Rules.
