Discrepancy in appointing deserving candidates
SHILLONG: The indefinite hunger strike called by the Association of qualified Grade IV candidates (2011), East Khasi Hills kicked started on Monday with the candidates expressing firmness in their decision to protest against the reluctance of the government departments to remove the temporary appointees.
Gathering at the Nongthymmai football ground, the candidates numbering upto 130 were firm in continuing with the strike if the government failed to address their grievances.
Determined not to allow the State Government to extend any more deadlines to appoint them to various government departments, president of the Association Tourist Mylliempdah said that the government had previously extended the deadline to 6 months and the deadline is almost over yet no progress is seen in this connection.
“We are tired of moving from pillar to post demanding for our rights and we thought that in our State, nothing could be addressed without agitating and coming to the streets to get our grievances addressed,” Mylliempdah said.
A total number of 130 candidates in the merit list are yet to get the appointment and the protest is to put pressure on the government to act before the period of the merit list lapses this month.
“We remained calm even in the recent appointment of only 80 candidates from a total of over 230 deserving and agitating candidates since the government had promised to fulfill its promise within 6 months but all in vain,” he added.
Mylliempdah also informed that the candidates have also taken up this issue with their respective representatives in the opposition party to take up this issue at the Assembly.
Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said that resorting to such kind of agitations is not the only way to get their grievances address adding that they could always take the legal recourse.
“We have tried to explain to them various ways of getting their demands fulfilled besides warning them about their move as this could jeopardize their work record later,” Goyal said.
Stating that the District Administration has refrained from registering a case against them, Goyal said “We don’t want to register any case against them as we know that the appointed period is still valid and if they are appointed to any department, it would add a black remark in their record.”
Stating that their forceful move to stage a hunger strike is a violation to the 144 CrPC order passed in the district, the DC mentioned that the administration will decide on the future course of action.
“We are not in a position to arrange for any ambulance or security as the authority had not given any permission to call for an indefinite hunger strike,” Goyal said however, adding that security personnel have been put into place to keep a check at their activities.