The family members of a Dalit man who works as a contract driver at the CDMO office in Kendrapara threatened to hold fast-unto- death agitation from December 16 here. They are demanding that the pending salary of driver Bijay Kumar Jena is cleared without further delay and Jena’s job made regular.
Jena alleged that he had been running from pillar to post to get his job regularised for the last 22 years but in vain. Besides, his salary had not been cleared since March last, causing immense hardship for him and his five-member family. He said that he had failed to purchase medicine for his sick mother and pay his children’s examination fees.
Jena, a resident of Sahupada village, stated that he had joined as DlR driver at Kendrapara in leprosy society in 1992. later, a driver post was vacant at Kendrapara District Headquarters Hospital in 2004. He applied for the post. But the then CDMO allegedly by taking monetary gratification appointed someone else in the post. Then Jena knocked the door of Health and Family Welfare Commissioner. The latter had directed to the CDMO to appoint him in the job but the direction was not carried out.
Subsequently, Jena filed an appeal in the Odisha High Court. On the intervention of the court, he was appointed on April1, 2005 as a contractual driver under NlEP. Meanwhile, two colleagues of Jena who had joined as driver with him in the leprosy society got regular job while Jena was bypassed.
Meanwhile, eight regular posts for driver, including two posts under the NlEP and six in general healthcare, are lying vacant under the administrative control of the CDMO, Kendrapara , but the authorities are silent about appointing Jena on a regular basis.