Agitators climbing atop water tanks and mobile phone towers to articulate grievances have become a standard practice now in Uttarakhand with the law-enforcers remaining at a loss over how to arrest the disturbing trend. In the latest that occurred on Friday, dozens of contractual workers working under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in the state education department whose contracts ended on March 31, 2015, had climbed up water tanks located at Parade Ground, demanding extension of their contracts.
Though the protesters later came down following assurance from the state government officers the issue remains alive. The observers ascribe this to complete failure of intelligence. “With the district administration remaining least prepared to take on such a mode of protest, there is little doubt that such things would recur,” said one of the observers.
They further say that such indecisiveness might prove costly in the coming days as the possibility of some of them immolating themselves cannot be ruled out.It has been observed that frustrated with the administrative machinery remaining non-responsive to their long-pending demands, the aggrieved people are taking to such stunts as the last resort to prod the government to act.
Once they climb atop towers or trees things turn challenging for the administrative officers and police to bring them down. In all such cases, what is found is that police persuade the agitators to get down while rolling out assurances for a meeting with the state government officials to have their grievances redressed.
Dehradun city magistrate lalit Narayan Mishra had said following the incident on Friday that FIR would be lodged against the Jan Sansthan officials who had failed to stop the agitators from climbing up the tower despite being sent with the directive to defuse the situation. “But such routine steps taken in a cavalier manner can hardly end things. The administration must be more serious to end the spiral. Making some heads roll here and there would not go far,” said an observer.
Notably, earlier, then Dehradun DM Chadresh Yadav had asked the department officers to remove stairs of the towers and tanks up to 14 feet to stop the protesters from going for such stunts. Though the directive was acted upon at least partially things remain unsolved. “This is mostly because of the Chowkidars or guards remaining off their guard especially during the night hours.As far as Friday’s incident is concerned the protestors climbed up the water tank around midnight, taking advantage of the on duty guards dozing off,” said a senior administrative official.