134-hour long RMSA 'agitation' ends

Ending 134-hour long drama, five members of the association of laboratory/ office assistants of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) descended from the overhead water tank located at pavilion ground, on Monday.  Five members of the association had scaled the overhead tank in Pavilion ground on the intervening night of July 28/29 and were pressurising the State Government to accept their demand. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand had warned the members of the association that the State Government would take back its decision to adjust them in the higher education department if they fail to descend from the tank till 11 am on Monday.

 On Monday, a delegation of the agitating association met education secretary MC Joshi where he assured them that the State Government is looking into their demand. After that the delegation met the Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma, who tersely told them to ask their fellow members to climb down from the overhead tank.

He also assured that the Government would issue Government Order (GO) for them within hours of their descend. later the OSD of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Anand Bahuguna met the members of the association at the agitation site and succeeded in the persuading them after which five members of the association came down from the overhead tank  amid loud cheers from the other members of the association.

The President of the association Vivek Bhatt told The Pioneer that on the assurance of GO for their reinstatement the members descended from the tank. The members of the association were waiting at the state secretariat for the GO till the filing of this news.The job contracts of these RMSA workers were terminated when the union Government stopped funding their salaries. These workers are now demanding that the State Government should renew their contracts.