Kolkata, March 4 Sangrami Joutho Mancha (Joint Movement Forum), an umbrella body of various West Bengal Government employees' associations, had called a total cease-work on March 13 to protest against the inaction of the state government in connection with the Dearness Allowance (DA) payable to them.
According to the Joint Movement Forum, the state government is yet to abide by the order of the Supreme Court last month directing it to follow a step-by-step method to pay DA to state government employees at par with that of the central government staff and the arrears accrued on it since 2008.
The forum chose the occasion of the auspicious Holi festival on Wednesday to announce the decision for total cease-work on March 13, which they are describing as “Bandh Mubaraq”.
“Besides instructing the state government to follow a step-by-step procedure on this count, the Supreme Court had also directed West Bengal to pay 25 per cent of the Dearness Allowance arrears from 2008 to 2019 by March 31. But till now, there has been no initiative on the part of the state to even follow the first part of that step-by-step process.
"However, during this period, the state government is draining money in celebrating festivals. So we have named our proposed cease-work in the state as ‘Bandh Mubaraq’. We will come to our respective offices on that day but will not participate in any kind of official work,” said an office bearer of the forum on Wednesday.
He also said that they have come to know that the state government will be approaching the Supreme Court again with a review petition in the matter.
“Since the Supreme Court had ordered the state government to decide on the first installment on March 6, we have announced a protest program on March 13 after waiting until March 6. We are ready to go as far as we have to in order to achieve our justified rights,” the office bearer added.
He also said that besides these protest movements, the forum had also kept its legal options ready against the state government in the matter.
Now it is to be seen how the state government will react to the proposed cease-work call by the state government employees.
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