Ahmedabad, Aug 2 (UNI) Around 8,500 village panchayat executive heads Tuesday declared an indefinite strike to press for their long pending demands which include pay revision and recruitment. Their demands include making them permanent employees on a fixed salary, not burdening them with additional work, and giving benefits of revenue talatis to panchayat talatis. In a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, the State Talati Mantri Mahamandal had said that their demands have been pending for nine long months. Despite reaching a with the government, no concrete steps have been taken till now, it lamented. According to them, while interacting with the media, Panchayat Minister Brijesh Merja in Rajkot had promised to make new recruitment soon and that the government is keen to resolve the issues of panchayat officials. Since the approval of the finance department is mandatory on the issue of grade pay, the panchayat department is negotiating it, they were told.
Vice-President of Gujarat State Talati Mahamandal Chirag Geraiya said that there are approximately more than 10,000 panchayat employees working in the state. For the last many years, no positive approach is being shown by the government regarding our various demands. In 2018, when the strike was called off by the panchayat employees, after being assured that the issues would be resolved. In 2021, when Bhupendra Patel was appointed as the new Chief Minister, the strike was called off by the government saying that the issues would be resolved. And at the Rajkot Taluka Panchayat office, throwing the keys of the Gram Panchayat office on the ground, we are staying away from work. Scores of letters were written to the authorities highlighting their plight. When all their requests and demands fell on deaf ears, a meeting of the Talati Mantri Council was held on July 9. In the meeting, the executive heads decided to go on an indefinite strike from August 2. They will boycott all programs except paying full respect to the national flag in the ‘Ghar Ghar Tiranga Yatra’ from August 13 to 15.
