Nalgonda: Panchayat staff intensify strike

Nalgonda : The ongoing strike by junior and outsourcing panchayat secretaries demanding regularisation of their jobs entered the 15th day on Friday. As part of the strike, the secretaries protested by playing Bathukamma before the collectorates. At some places, they protested by getting into ponds and reservoirs.

With the government not relenting, the protesters announced their move to further intensify the strike till their demands were met. Officials are worried that governance in gram panchayats would be hit by the strike.

Although the government had warned that it would sack the staff they did not call off the protest by 5 pm by Tuesday evening, no notices were served on them yet. Meanwhile, the protesters are mulling over legal means should the government carry out its threat.

In Nalgonda district, 648 junior panchayat staff and 82 outsourcing staff out of a total of 730 are on strike. Although 110 of them joined duty on Tuesday evening, there are no signs of withdrawing the strike. Protests were also witnessed in Yadadri Bhongir district and Suryapet districts.