Sufficient time given to state Govt: CoSAAP
ITANAGAR, Oct 10: The State Government has warned its employees that disciplinary action will be taken against them, if they join the pen and tool down strike as proposed by the Confederation of Service Association of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) from 11 October.
“Any government employee taking part in the pen/tool down strike shall be in gross contravention with CCS (Conduct) Rules, and such employees will be liable for disciplinary proceedings under CCS (CCA) Rules and other relevant Act/Rules,” a government order said.
Taking serious view of the proposed strike, the government observed that the proposed strike, if continued, may lead to total breakdown of the state machinery and thereby resulting in violation of fundamental rights of many citizens because of non-functioning of the government, according to a state government release.
While responding to CoSAAP’s demands, an official statement said that the Cabinet has decided to grant the House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Tough Location Allowance (TLA) despite the ‘precarious’ financial condition of the state.
“The decisions were taken by the state cabinet keeping very sympathetic view towards the members of the Confederation in spite of the fact that it will involve an estimated financial implication of approximately, Rs. 90 crores per annum.”
The state cabinet also noted that “the recommendations of the 7th CPC have not been implemented in most of the states in the country, especially in the NE Region. In fact, implementation of allowances as per the 7’h CPC recommendation in the NE states, except in Sikkim, is a far-fetched dream.”
The Cabinet noted that a major share of the total financial resources are being spent on salaries, wages, OE/OC, repair and maintenance, POL etc leaving hardly any fund for spending on the necessarily required infrastructural facilities in the important sectors of the state.
The Cabinet also noted that the Govt. was not able to fill up the critical infrastructural gaps even in its priority sectors – health, education, agriculture, horticulture, etc. The increasing demand from CoSAAP in respect of grant of allowances as per the 7th CPC recommendations is going to further deteriorate the Financial position of the of the state and will leave no funds even for implementing some very important and ambitious schemes and projects announced in the budget for the FY 2018-19.
“Despite heavy strain on the Govt. exchequer, the government decided to implement the recommendations of the 7th CPC in respect of the salaries being paid to the employees of government of Arunachal Pradesh.”
The CoSAAP has been demanding the 7th CPC allowances in toto, along with other service benefits for the employees “on the strength of the provisions contained in the Statehood Act, 1986, and further Adaptation of Laws orders of 1989.”
While reacting to the statement of the state government, the CoSAAP in a release said, ‘ we have given sufficient time to state government to address our demands but they have not taken any positive steps to settle the issues till date. Now, more than 70000 odd employees are united and such pressure tactics of authority will bring no solution.’
Stating that demands are not new, the CoSAAP said time and again, the state Govt. authorities had accepted the demands as genuine and only recently turned it down in the pretext of fund constraints.
‘This is just a pressure tactics of authority to thwart the united democratic movement on genuine demands of CoSAAP. The proposal of state Govt. to grant TLA in distorted and modified form has no basis and is not acceptable and the HRA for group “C” employees only is policy of divide and rule.’
