Govt staff strike: Arrangements made to ensure key services are unaffected in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): With government employees deciding to go on an indefinite strike in the state from Wednesday, transport, health and education departments have made arrangements to ensure that the services are not affected.
The employees have put forward their demands including, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission report and implementation of at least 40 per cent of fitment facilities, and reverting to the Old Pension Scheme.
A senior education department official told PTI today that there are standing instructions to all the schools to remain open.
"We have given directions to keep the schools open. If the teachers do not turn up then they will be marked absent," the officer said.
He added that 10th class preparatory examinations are going on and teachers have been told that they should be conducted as per schedule.
The health department is also on the toes to ensure that the emergency services remain open during the strike.
A health officer told PTI that all the important hospitals in districts have been directed to ensure that the trauma and emergency health services are not disrupted.
"It is too early to say how the situation would be throughout the day but as of now, the services are as usual. We have made arrangements to ensure that the trauma and emergency healthcare services are not affected," the official said.
The Karnatska State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses were seen plying as usual in the morning.
The police department has also taken steps to make sure that no law and order situation is created due to the strike, a police officer said.
There are instructions to protect any damage to the government properties, especially buses, due to the strike.
A few government officers PTI spoke to said that the government offices may not function like normal days and most of them could remain shut.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had on Tuesday reached out to the employees, saying the administration was ready to seek Seventh Pay commission's interim report and implement it.
Most of the services, barring a few like transport, critical care at hospitals and crematoriums, are likely to be hit, as talks between the government and the employees' association to avert the strike have so far not yielded "positive results."
"Our senior officials are in touch with the government employees association and their President, holding talks. I have already made it clear in the Assembly that we are the ones who formed the seventh pay commission and it will be implemented in 2023-24 itself, and funds have been allocated for it in the budget," Bommai told reporters at Hubballi on Tuesday.
Karnataka State Government Employees' Association President C S Shadakshari, had said on Tuesday that there is no question of them withdrawing the call for strike at this point in time.
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CM Siddaramaiah echoes Rahul’s views on ‘electoral fraud’, ‘voter list manipulation’
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has echoed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of large-scale electoral misconduct by the BJP, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of manipulating voter lists and undermining democratic institutions, including the Election Commission of India.
In an interview with PTI Videos, Siddaramaiah said Rahul Gandhi was telling the truth when he alleged that genuine voters were being removed from electoral rolls while fake names were being added.
"Such things have happened in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka," he claimed and expressed his apprehension, "they are planning to do it in Bihar also".
The Chief Minister accused the BJP of mischief and alleged that this manipulation was happening across the country.
He came down heavily on the Election Commission, saying it is no longer functioning as an independent constitutional body.
"The Election Commission is working under the direction of the central government. It’s not independent. Election Commission has to function independently and fairly, but it is not doing so," the Chief Minister said.
Declaring that democracy is under threat, Siddaramaiah announced that the Congress would launch a nationwide campaign to expose these alleged irregularities and demand reforms to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
Siddaramaiah also reiterated the importance of conducting a nationwide caste census.
"Every state should start conducting the caste census. It should be socio-economic, educational, employment-based, and political. Because everybody should know, after independence, what is the status of an individual — economically, politically — and whether independence has reached everyone or not, whether equality has come or not," CM has insisted.
The purpose of the Constitution is to bring about change and remove inequality, he underlined.
He also clarified that he is not the convenor of the OBC advisory committee but only a member under Anil Jaihind’s leadership.
Regarding Karnataka’s own caste census, he said that authorities have been given a three-month time to complete the process and expressed hope that they will meet the deadline.
Regarding the alleged site allotment scam in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Siddaramaiah said, "It is a false case. They torture me, my wife, and my family unnecessarily. Though this does not come under the PMLA Act — there is no money laundering — unnecessarily, they harassed me and my family," he complained.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s strong remarks, CM said, "It looks like the court has rightly said that if you want to do politics, do it in elections, not here. Not in this case, not through the ED. This is the warning of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to the BJP," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking on the June 4 stadium stampede that killed 11 people, Siddaramaiah said the Cabinet has accepted the enquiry report submitted by retired High Court judge Justice Michael D’Cunha.
"Criminal cases have already been registered against the officials of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and DNA (the event management agency), apart from police personnel," he said.
"Additionally, an inquiry will be conducted against the police officers concerned," he added.
