IMPHAL, October 17: The All Manipur District Council Teachers’ Association has decided to launch various forms of agitations from October 20 following the failure of the state government to fulfill their various demands including payment of dearness allowance arrears, pay arrears and implementation of pension schemes even after repeated appeals.
Informing this during a press conference held at Manipur Press Club this noon, AMDSCT president Daihrii stated that, the association had been demanding since 2006 for the payment of 14 percent of the dearness allowance arrears for the district council teachers, which has been left unpaid from January 1, 2001 to June 30, 2005.
He further elaborated that even though the government has already implemented the 6th pay commission for its other employees, the district council teachers are yet to receive their arrears which were accumulated during the implementation of the 5th pay commission.
Recently, a proposal of the hills department regarding the payments of the arrears in respect of 4087 district council teachers had been processed and examine by the state finance department, however after it was forwarded to higher authorities, it has remained unattended by the authorities concerned, he informed the media persons.
Meanwhile, regarding the pay arrears, the association has been demanding payment of only six months arrears starting from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 in two installments for which the finance department has already issued its clearance, however the teachers re yet to receive any money, he stated.
He further stated that the finance department had issued that the first installment should be paid to the teachers on November 1, 2010 while the second installment should be paid on June 1, 2011.
The association has been demanding the implementation of pension schemes for the teachers of the six Autonomous district councils of the state, through various memorandums, however the state government has ignored them all, he added.
He further mentioned that other employees of the state are enjoying all the schemes and policies including the pension schemes, however the state government has failed to acknowledge their demands which he further termed as injustice to the teachers of the ADCs.
Meanwhile, speaking at the conference, general secretary of the association Letkhoher Haokip stated that the government has failed to redress their grievances despite of repeated representation to the government for which the association had started an agitation from September 2007, however following assurance from the then Tribal Development minister DD Thaishii, the agitations were ended on October 23, 2009.
“However, the government till date has failed to act according to the assurance provided by the minister”.
He further added that the teachers have suffered enough and there is no other way than to resume their agitations.
Further, elaborating on their lines of agitation, he added that on October 20, the association will organized sit in protest at all six ADCs hqs which will be followed by a mass silent rally and submission of their demands to the DC concerns.
The association will further bring their agitation to Imphal on October 22 and organized a sit in protest at Khuyathong.
In case of failure of the state government to fulfill their demands till then, the employees will start its pen down strike from October 23, he added.
