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Journalism of Courage
Government servants in Chhattisgarh brought the state administration to a virtual standstill yesterday by proceeding on a day’s mass casual leave.
This was the first time when the employess, whose services were allotted to the state after Madhya Pradesh’s bifurcation, resorted to such means to demand a wage hike and removal of pay anomalies.
The worst casualty of the mass casual leave was the state Secretariat which wore a completely deserted look with employees and officers, except bureaucrats, having stayed away from work. The call evoked an overwhelming response in the districts, affecting the functioning even in the collectors’ offices in nearly a dozen districts.
The employees led by Hemlata Ekka, head of the employees union, staged a rally and resolved to intensify the struggle in the coming months. ‘‘For two years, we tried to get all issues settled across the table and avoid confrontation with the government. But the state government did nothing,’’ she alleged.
