Municipal Staff Demand Justice as Hunger Strike Enters Day 8
By Doruvu Paul Jagan Babu: Assistant Chief Editor
Andhra Pradesh: In a significant development in Proddatur, municipal workers met the Regional Director of Municipal Administration (Anantapur) during his visit and raised concerns over the dismissal of an employee, with the official conducting an on-the-spot inquiry with local authorities and advising the aggrieved worker to seek justice through the District Collector.
Workers raise issue before Regional Director
Municipal workers, along with representatives of the CITU union, met the Regional Director at the municipal office on Monday. They appealed for justice for dismissed outsourcing worker B Venkateswarlu, stating that he had acted only on the instructions of higher officials without any personal involvement.
On-the-spot inquiry with officials
During the interaction, the Regional Director sought clarification from the Municipal Commissioner in the presence of the workers. The Commissioner confirmed that Venkateswarlu had visited the incident site based on directions from his section head (ACP) and Town Planning officials. The Regional Director questioned how a worker could be dismissed for merely carrying out orders assigned by superiors.
In response, the Commissioner explained that the dismissal was executed as per the directions of the District Collector and District Magistrate, maintaining that he had no independent role in the decision.
The Regional Director suggested that a written statement be issued acknowledging that the employee acted under official instructions. He further advised the union leaders and the aggrieved worker to once again approach the District Collector, expressing confidence that justice could be secured through proper representation.
Relay hunger strike enters eighth day
Meanwhile, the ongoing relay hunger strike by municipal workers reached its eighth day, with several workers, including Gangadhar Reddy, participating in solidarity with the dismissed employee.
Round-table meet draws support
A round-table conference organized under the banner of CITU saw participation from various public organizations, all extending support to Venkateswarlu and urging authorities to adopt a fair and humane approach.
Union leaders including Gangadhar Reddy, Bhaskar, Shivaprasad, Ashok, Obul Reddy, Gurappa, Agamani, Salman, Raghava, Balasubbayya, Raju, Raghavendra, Kalavati, Ratnamma, Mumtaz Begum, and Prema participated in round table meet in solidarity with the dismissed employee.
Municipal Workers warn of boycott
Speaking after the protest, CITU leader Korrapati Satyam criticized the administration for failing to respond to a grievance submitted to the District Collector a week ago.
He warned that if the worker is not reinstated and the issue remains unresolved, nearly 500 municipal workers would boycott their duties, potentially disrupting municipal services.
Protest concludes for the day
The day’s hunger strike concluded at 5:00 PM after Gurrappa offering buttermilk to Gangadhar Reddy. However, union leaders reiterated that the agitation would continue until justice is delivered.
