Excise personnel protest
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 03 2011:
The decision of the state government to absorb 502 personnel of Excise Department into the Disaster Response Force with immediate effect has not gone down well among the aggrieved Excise personnel who have resorted to cease work strike from today demanding review of the order.
On October 29 last, Commissioner (Excise), Government of Manipur Sumant Singh reportedly issued a re-deployment order of 502 personnel from Excise Department to Relief and Disaster Management Department.
However, the Excise personnel came to know about the re-deployment order only yesterday.
On learning about the re-deployment order, Excise personnel deployed in various check posts in different parts of the state left behind their respective place of duty and converged at the Excise Headquarters located at Lamphel today afternoon.
After locking the office rooms and the gate, the aggrieved Excise personnel also staged an impromptu protest demonstration demanding review of the redeployment order.
Talking to mediapersons on the sideline of the protest demonstration, General Secretary of All Manipur Excise Employees' Welfare Association L Bole pointed out that the decision taken in the Cabinet meeting held on August 27 last was only to utilize personnel from Excise Department in the newly established Disaster Response Force of the Relief and Disaster Management Department.
The re-deployment order of the state government is a move to abolish the existing Excise Department, asserted L Bole.
He also contended that decision of re-deploying Excise personnel, most of whom are due to retire from service, in an active service like that of Disaster Response Force is illogical.
Why can't personnel from Para-military forces and state forces be utilized for an active service like Disaster Response Force, the General Secretary questioned.