While there is a total shutdown of citizen services in all government departments for the last 15 days because of the general strike in the twin cities, the scenario is markedly different in the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB).
On Monday, the offices and all citizen services were shut down in support of the ongoing general strike for creating Telangana State. Protests were held and mass lunches were organised with employees participating with gusto.
Otherwise, the SCB under the Union Defence Ministry has been functioning pretty normally till last week. Offices have remained open and citizens too have been to source various services like issuance of permissions, certificates, tax collections, sanitation, etc.
But, it's not as if SCB is immune to the all encompassing agitation around. Employees have been organising protests and demonstrations periodically but ensuring that the official work is not overtly affected. “We support the agitation but we are also conscious that we are a Central government organisation,” pointed out a senior Board Member.
“Our staff has been holding protests but they are also taking care to see that the citizen services are not affected. They are a shining example to others,” explained Chief Executive Officer (CEO) S. Balakrishna. Cantonment offices were also shut down for a while during the first general strike few months ago.
However, the fact also is the citizen services have generally taken a hit because of the employees like tax inspectors and others manning the 14 check posts to collect Toll and Octroi fees. They have been forced to do the job for the last two months after the SCB threw out the contractors for fleecing commuters entering and exiting the Cantt. limits.
“It is affecting the administration work but people are happy as they are not being harassed. Our daily collection is a fraction of what was being coerced before to give an indication of the change now,” said Mr. Balakrishna. The entire SCB is currently busy with the visit of the Parliament Standing Committee on Official Languages.
