In a dramatic move five contractual members of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scaled the overhead water tank located in Pavilion ground at around 12.30 am on Wednesday.
This act of the workers took the breath out of the administration and police and efforts were being made by the police to persuade the agitators to descend from the tank till the time of filing this report.
The President of association of laboratory and office assistants of RMSA, Vivek Bhatt told The Pioneer that the five members of the association are determined to remain atop the overhead water tank till the Chief Minister Harish Rawat himself gives some concrete assurance to the association.
Bhatt said that it is shocking the CM told a delegation of RMSA workers that he would listen to their demands only if they remain rooted on the overhead tank for ten days. It is worth mentioning here that the RMSA workers had scaled the same overhead water tank on June 19. The OSD of CM, Anand Bahuguna had persuaded the workers at that time to descend.
As the news of the act of scaling the overhead water tank spread large number of RMSA workers gathered at pavilion ground. These workers raised slogans against the state and central government for terminating their contract. Surprisingly the association did not disclose the names of the five members who scaled the overhead tank.
The education department had terminated the services of 1256 outsource employees of RMSA as the Central Government had stopped funding their salaries in the month of March. The association is now demanding that the State Government should bear the entire cost of their contractual appointment now.
Bhatt said that decision of removal by the State Government has put the livelihood of hundreds of people in jeopardy. The association has also rejected the State Government assurance to give them bonus mark in any future recruitment.