On account of the protests organised by para teachers, Mid-Day Meal (MDM) cooks in Capital city, heavy traffic congestion was a common scenario at all prime itineraries on Monday.
Commuters taking the New Market route, Kutchery route, Upper Bazaar road or any other prime direction for different purposes had a tough time navigating on these routes.
In an attempt to register their agitation against the State Government’s apathy, the protesters under various banners congregated at Morhabadi Ground, Raj Bhawan, including a few other places choking nearly all prime routes.
The vehicles were stuck for several kilometres and traffic was slow moving. Regardless of several attempt to clear the traffic jam from different check-posts, traffic constables had to struggle hard to streamline the traffic system going haywire during peak hours.
As many as 5,000 MDM cooks first gathered at Morhabadi Ground with their list of demands and marched towards the CM residence with traditional weapons, however, the protesters were stopped at Raj Bhawan.
For more than two hours, Mid-Day Meal (MDM) cooks sat near Kishori Yadav Chowk blocking all directions that severely affected the smooth vehicular movement.
The protest was organised under the aegis of ‘Jharkhand Rasoiya Sangh’. The major demands includes all removed MDM cooks must be reappointed, on the lines of State of Tamil Nadu, the MDM cooks must be included in the State Government’s fourth grade list, minimum Rs 18,000 must be paid monthly to the all the MDM cooks, all MDM cooks must be allowed to work until they attain the age of 70-year, all goods required to make MDM must be purchased by the cooks, all due payments must be cleared at the earliest, Rs 5 lakh insurance of each MDM cook and special leave for women.
At present, each MDM cook gets Rs 42 per day with no additional facilities. This is for the second time in a month, when these MDM cooks have to come on road to register their protest.
In addition, para teachers in large number who too have been keeping their demands since few years taking up increment and job regularisation issue, blocked different routes to register their agitation. Having the back up of opposition parties, the protest of para teachers is likely to gain much impetus as para teachers from different divisions are planning to launch a massive drive against the State Government’s indifference soon.
During the protest, the agitating para teachers unanimously stated that if the official of the State Government do not pay attention to their demands, 67,000 para teachers of all the five divisions will create much uproar leaving out the Government machinery in complete disarray on Statehood Celebration Day November 15.
“The high-level committee constituted a few months ago to look into the demands of the para teachers and take apt action in accordance to the requirements is mere eyewash.
The State Government is purposely delaying the appointment of the para teachers. This time, on November 16, ‘Ghera Daalo Dhera Daalo’ will be organised in a much violent way,” said a para teacher during the protest.