Three leaders of employees arrested
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 28 2010:
Police on today picked up three leaders of the agitating employees as part of Manipur Government move to suppress cease-work strike which had entered 103 day.
Meanwhile, government has invited striking JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO for talk.
Intimations signed by the state law, revenue and forest minister, Th Debendra have been furnished to the leaders of the striking bodies, an official source said.
The intimations inviting to hold talk with a ministerial team tomorrow, at 12.30 pm, at the office chamber of the minister Debendra addressed to the presidents, general secretaries and conveners of the JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO and MSSA.
A government spokesperson told Hueiyen Lanpao that that they are ready to hold talks with the government.
He further said that if the scheduled talk which would be the first round, could not bring about an agreement, another round of meeting is expected.
He added that it is true that government has no fund in the exchequer of the government to pay the arrears demanded by the employees.
So, there is less expectation of bringing an end to the impasse in the first round talk.
Government has started taking up stern action against the striking employees.
Apart from rounding up some leaders, police are on alert to pick up important leaders of the JAC, he added.
The vice-president of JAC of AMTUC and AMGEGO Ningthoujam Manihar, former vice president Tikendrajit and general secretary of Manipur Secretariat Service Association (MSSA), Porojit have been taken into custody by the police this morning, general secretary of the JAC, Chandramani confirmed.
They were picked up by the police from their respective homes during raids conducted by the police since last night, he added saying that so far police have detained six strikers till date even as two employees of secretariat service and six pensioners rounded up by the police April 25 last were released on the same day.
Three employees of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) arrested by the police around one month back were still in jail.
The three leaders are also likely to send jail.
But police refused to disclose any proceeding against them.
The cease work will continue and will be intensified in the next few days armed with jail bharo and mass court arrest.
"We are mobilizing for the same," Chandramani informed from an undisclosed place as police is behind him to arrest.
Decrying the adamant attitude of the Manipur government in fulfilling the demand of in toto implementation of sixth pay bands, the JAC has approached the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India with regard to the mismanagement of the funds mean for payment of salaries and pensions of the employees.