Imphal, November 01: Reacting to the news report published in the October 30 issue concerning appointment without posts in Fishery Department, the Fisheries Officiating Employees' Union has rejected the report as baseless.

A statement issued by the Union contended that the employees were appointed on officiating basis in 1986 after recommendation by the Departmental Promotion Committee constituted by the then Secretary Fisheries E Kunjeshwar as chairman and Director Fisheries A Ibungohal and Deputy Secretary Industries H Manihar as members.

Saying that the employees were appointed as per the recruitment rules of the time by the authentic appointing authority, it rejected the report that the employees were appointed without posts.

It also conveyed strong resentment against the Finance Department for keeping back the salaries of the employees for the last six months.

The Union also cited the ruling of the Guwahati High Court, Imphal Bench issued on September 16, 1991 according to which the State Government was instructed to pay the salaries of the employees until further order.

It also quoted another interim order of the Court whereby the State Government was asked not to withheld the salaries of the employees while the case was still pending in the Court.

Again the Imphal Bench of the Guwahati High Court through an order issued on November 19, 1997 directed the State Government to prepare a rational scheme on a rotational basis for absorbing as far as possible the petitioners (employees) who have been continuously working for more than 10 years in class III post in the Fishery Department.

Taking strong exception to the statement that 150 employees were appointed without posts, the employees union noted that it was nothing but hog-wash and further construed that it was an attempt to terminate 130 employees of the Department.

Before the Uma Devi case, many employees in the Fishery Department itself were regularised as per an order of the Guwahati High Court issued in 1997, it mentioned while noting that the decision of the State Government to rescind High Court order taking advantage of a Supreme Court order issued just recently is inhumane and akin to forfeiting the livelihood of these long time employees.

Rather than terminating the employees, the Union appealed to the State Government to retain the 132 employees by creating supernumerary posts.

Comment