17 lakh Maharashtra government employees begin 3-day strike
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Around 17 lakh Maharashtra government employees launched a three-day strike on Tuesday over pending demands including implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission Report with departments like education and medical severely hit.
The state government on Monday night directed all employees to report for duty on Tuesday and warned of strict disciplinary action against those who failed to comply under MESMA (Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act) and salary cuts.
It also announced payment of pending Dearness Allowance (DA) for 14 months to 150,000 gazetted officers, who accordingly withdrew from the three-day agitation.
An official of the Maharashtra State Employees Organisation (MSEO) said that all employees right upto taluka levels have joined the agitation.
The MSEO has accused the state government of sitting on its demands including the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission Report, effective from January 1, 2016.
However, later it dilly-dallied saying that it was awaiting the report of the K.P. Bakshi Committtee in the matter as implementing the Commission would entail an additional burden of a staggering Rs 21,000-crore on the debt-hit state.
Other major demands include implementation of a five-day week in all government offices, increasing the retirement age from 58 to 60 and filling up urgently over 200,000 vacancies in the state.
The MSEO, Maharashtra State Class IV Employees Association and other affiliated associations served a notice to strike to the General Administration Department on July 16, but there was no response.
The unions have said that they will not settle for "mere assurances" but only direct action from the government, since the strike was deferred several times in the past few years on such promises.
Tuesday's action has hit normal work in all government offices including the headquarters, Mantralaya in Mumbai, collectorates, tehsils and talukas, besides educational, medical and other government institutions.
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Ethanol plant GM, junior shot dead in UP's Budaun; blacklisted vendor suspect
Budaun (UP) (PTI): Two officials of an ethanol plant were shot dead on Thursday, allegedly by a blacklisted vendor, officials said.
The killings took place at a plant of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Sejni village under the Musajhag Police Station area, they said.
Plant's general manager, Sudhir Kumar Gupta, and assistant general manager, Harshit Mishra, were shot dead in the attack.
District Magistrate Avnish Rai said the alleged shooter, Ajay Pratap Singh alias Ramu, a local, was once a vendor at the plant.
Sources said Gupta had recently terminated some employees and blacklisted vendors whose work was not satisfactory. Singh was among those removed.
Since the termination, Singh had been upset with the general manager and had threatened him several times, they said.
He once attacked Gupta's car, following which a case was registered against him at Dataganj Kotwali Police Station.
According to preliminary information, Singh came to the factory around 2 pm on Thursday and managed to cross the security gate before entering a conference room where Gupta was present.
He allegedly opened fire at him, and when Mishra intervened, he fired at him also. Both died on the spot, officials said.
