Scrap GO 35, demands MLC Narsi Reddy

Hyderabad: Lakshmi, widow of an attendant who worked in the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Degree College (SLNSDC), Bhongir, has been struggling to make ends meet for the last five years.

Narrating her heart-rending story at a meeting of temporary staff of aided colleges held in the city recently, she said that her husband worked for about 19 years at the SLNSDC, Bhongir.

The sudden demise of her husband left her with huge burden of running the home besides meeting the expenses of the education of her two daughters.

"I hoped that I may be given the job of my husband to work as an attendant who died in-service so that I can look after my two daughters.

But, all hopes were dashed when I was informed about the GO.35 issued during the Congress government in the united AP leaves no scope for job for the kin and kith of those working in the aided educational institutions," she added.

However, at the end of the tunnel, she saw a light and took part in every form of agitation for the cause of a separate State of Telangana. "I hoped that our fates would change for the better.

But, even after five years of the formation of the State, the same GO No 35 that had dashed her hopes is still effective" she pointed out.

According to sources, Lakshmi is not the lone victim of the decisions taken in the united AP but there are several others whose lives and the fate of their families are hanging in balance.

Stressing the need for regularisation and scrapping of the GO No.35, MLC A Narsi Reddy pointed out the said GO is detrimental to the futures of the teaching and non-teaching staff working in the aided educational institutions.

The GO is the second step in the erstwhile AP which had given a death blow to the people. Firstly, a ban was imposed on the recruitments of teaching and non-teaching staff.

This had made the aided educational institutions to struggle for the last two decades to survive in a losing game, as the number of students taking admissions falling year by year due to lack of replacement of teachers in the place of those retired and died.

Adding to this, the GO 35 ordered completely abolishing of the aided post in the private aided colleges and schools when an employee in an aided school retires or dies.

"As there is no change in the situation even after the formation of the new State of Telangana, those working in these institutions on a temporary basis and the families waiting for compassionate appointments are left in the lurch, Narsi Reddy added.

It was against this backdrop that the Aided Colleges Temporary Staff Association (ACTSA) and Telangana State Committee decided to launch a prolonged agitation to mount pressure on the State government to scrap GO 35.

Continuation of support of the State government to the private aided colleges so that they will not become private colleges, regularisation of services of the unaided teaching and non-teaching staff and protection of properties worth thousands of crore were among the demands of the for which an action plan will be chalked out to intensive agitation said D Ratnakar, president of ACTSA.