Ibobi says no means to fulfil teachers' demand
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 17 2011: There is no other means except tendering resignation as Chief Minister said Chief Minister O Ibobi today talking to reporters asserting that he too wanted to fulfill their demands but, state has no resource to meet the funds to be incurred in meeting the demand.

He said, government is pressing the Centre for additional fund.

If Centre agreed to it, the demand would be fulfilled, otherwise, there is no other means as fulfilling teachers demand will tantamount to drag people into the pool of woe together.

Teachers under the banner of the Council of Teachers' Association (COTA) are currently on fast-unto-death pressing the government for adoption of revised pay bands of the sixth pay commission.

Ibobi said he had held meetings with the striking teachers for at least three times and discussed about their demands.

In the meetings, he had made it very clear that government was not in the position to provide Central pay bands taking into account the resource position of the state, the Chief Minister added.

The revised sixth central pay cannot be given to the teachers only.

Teachers under the autonomous district councils are to pay it.

Not only this, the same pay structures have to been enjoyed by the employees of other departments too.

Once started paying the revised pay bands, it will severely hit to the financial position of the state, he observed.

In the meetings, he recalled, a proposal of framing different pay structures for the trained and untrained teachers had been agreed.

As such, the basic pay of untrained teachers was fixed at Rs 4,000-6,000 and that of trained teachers at Rs 4,500-Rs 7,000.Besides this, teachers were assured of payment of DA and TA from time to time.

When the demand of the teachers is agreed, government expenditure in payment of teachers monthly salaries will be increased at the rate of Rs five crore per month and this will be above Rs 60 crore in a year.

Once started paying to the teachers, employees of other departments could not be left out, government has to spend a huge chunk of state's fund in paying employees salaries, he added.

The Chief Minister further said that his government had compared the pay scale of its employees with that of other northeastern states except that of Arunachal Pradesh.

The salaries of state employees are not less then that paid in other states.

For the Arunachal Pradesh, the state government had adopted the Central pay before general election to the state Assembly was held which they had admitted committing a big mistake as they are going to bear the burden in the near future.

Asserting that due to appointment of a number of employees in different departments and adoption of a revised pay bands, a deficit of Rs 700 crore has been facing by the government.

On the other hand, there is a standing order of the Planning Commission of India not to spend non-plan funds in paying employees salaries.

In such situation, teachers' strike it is not a right decision, Chief Minister said.

Expressing his dissatisfaction in the functioning of the government schools, Ibobi observed that except, TG Hr Sec School, Johnstone Hr Sec School and CC Hr Sec School, in Imphal, the enrollment of students is very low.

When a teacher from Wangjing taking part in the strike was asked about the number of students in his school, he look down on the ground, he revealed saying that in some schools number of teachers is more than the students.

It will be better to know their duty first before demanding rights.

At least, he wanted teachers to discharge duties in the larger interest of the state, the Chief Minister said.

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