Nagpur: Over Rs 50 crore revenue lost in 3 days of strike, healthcare collapse

The severity of indefinite strikes by state government employees is now being felt. Vital functions are getting affected. Revenue of over Rs 50 crore has been lost in the last three days, and transactions worth crores have stalled. Works of people are stuck. People coming from rural areas to the district collector's office and the Zilla Parishad head office for different works are disappointed.

The employees have gone on strike, demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme. Files are not moving forward as peons are not available. A lot of work is done in March which is the last month of the financial year. The works of the registry have come down to 30%. Royalty payments of minor minerals and revenue from other departments are also affected.

The issue of certificates of caste, income, non-creamy layer and others by the district collector's office is affected.

Though applications are made online through service centres backend staff is on strike. The applications are not being transferred to naib tehsildars, tehsildars and deputy collector for processing and approval. Work of distribution of certificates has been stopped causing hardships to students and the general public.

Senior citizens and students are also suffering. All pension-related works are stopped as there is no staff in the district treasury office. Bills are not getting cleared.

On the other hand, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (Mayo) and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) have started discharging patients as strikes by their staff continued for the third day.

Both hospitals had over 2,500 patients before the strike started. Now there are less than 1,000. Patients, especially from poor families, are in trouble as they now have to seek treatment in expensive private hospitals.

The nursing staff, technicians and Class 3, and 4 employees in IGGMCH, GMCH, Daga Memorial Women's Hospital, Regional Mental Hospital and ESIC Hospital went on strike from Tuesday demanding restoration of the old pension scheme. This has badly affected patient care. Around 450 planned surgeries have been postponed so far. The admitted patients who were hoping the strike will end soon are being discharged on Thursday. There are very few patients in wards that are otherwise full.

Some private hospitals have deployed their agents at the entrance of IGGMC and GMC in an attempt to take advantage of the strike. patients coming here are told about the strike and lured to private hospitals for treatment at a low cost.