The three-day state wide strike by the employees of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Offices of the Block Development Officers began here on Tuesday. The employees were demanding better wages and 18 other charter of demands.
Gothai Madhewari, Personal Assistant to Collector (Panchayat Development) told The Hindu that in Krishnagiri district 611 employees, including 26 Block Development Officers (except one at collectorate) at the headquarters and ten blocks participated in the strike.
All the 331 Panchayat clerks and ‘Makkal Nala Paniyalars' also participated in the strike. The employees in the engineering wing of the Rural Development Department did not take part in the strike. Due to the strike, the office of the DRDA and BDO in ten blocks across the district wore a deserted look on Tuesday.
The strike would affect the implementation of various schemes of the government, including concrete houses for the poor under ‘Kalaignar Veetu Vasathi Thittam', MNREGS, road laying and other infrastructure development works.
In Dharmapuri district, 748 employees, including 19 Block Development Officers in the DRDA and BDO offices, took part in the strike, N. Ramajayam, district president, Tamil Nadu Rural Development Officials Association said here on Tuesday.
He said all the panchayat clerks in 251 panchayats and 70 per cent of the ‘Makkal Nala Paniyalar' participated in the strike. Mr. Ramajayam said their demands include on a par salary for BDOs, Assistant Director and Joint Directors with the same posts in other departments, hike in the salary for MNPs and panchayat clerks, filling up of vacant posts and retirement benefits to the MNPs etc.
