The Cabinet sub-committee headed by Eatala Rajender has speeded up consultation process with the employees in different departments for submitting a fresh report to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao by May 16.
Mr. Rajender held discussions with the representatives of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) on Sunday on their demands that included pay revision, filling up of vacant posts and stringent action against private operators resorting to illicit operations which is resulting in significant dent to the revenues of the corporation.
The meeting comes in the light of the Chief Minister’s announcement on Friday that the government would take a call on the demands put forth by different employees associations on May 16 after holding detailed deliberations with representatives of the respective staff associations.
In addition to the representatives of employees, teachers and other sections, the Chief Minister wanted inclusion of the RTC employees in the discussion process so that the government could look into the issues raised by all sections of the employees.
KCR’s advice
The Chief Minister had ordered inclusion of Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy in the Cabinet sub-committee along with Ministers K.T. Rama Rao and G. Jagdishwar Reddy and asked the Ministers and officials concerned to evolve a road map for addressing the issues raised by the employees expeditiously.
Mr. Rao opined that archaic methods like constitution of the Pay Revision Commission would take a lot of time and hence, the Ministerial panel in consultation with the officials should work out modalities for addressing the issues raised by the employees, including the pay revision at the earliest. The development assumes significance as the employees submitted a charter of 18 demands and the teachers submitted over 35 demands seeking resolution to their long standing issues.
Constitution of the PRC, announcing a policy on transfers and effecting promotions which were pending for long have been the main demands of the staff associations which also wanted the restoration of the old pension scheme in place of the contributory pension scheme in force at present.
Section officers transferred
Meanwhile, the government had decided to effect inter-departmental transfers in respect of long standing officers working in the departments under control of single unit and accordingly, transferred 11 section officers working in different departments in the State Secretariat.
The order came at a time when the employees made a strong pitch for transfers and promotions and it was seen as prelude to the policy on general transfers by a section of employees. Senior officials, however, said they were yet to work out the modalities relating to the general transfers. “We have to work on it,” was how a senior official responded when asked about the issue.
