Odisha govt rejects mass leave application of revenue officials on strike

Bhubaneswar, Aug 13 (PTI) The Odisha government on Wednesday rejected mass leave applications of the District Revenue Ministerial Employees who have launched a cease work since August 11 to press for their 10-point charter of demands, including overdue promotions.

A senior official said those who are on strike might not get salaries for the period of their unauthorised leave and face break in service.

Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that cease work is not a solution to the problems and called upon the agitating employees to return to work for the interest of the people.

“Employees will not be allowed to take mass leave. The government will implement a no-work, no-pay rule against those who take leave for the purpose of agitation,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Collectors of all districts, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management department, D K Singh, said the indefinite strike is disrupting official work.

The absence of field-level revenue staff has led to delay and dislocation of essential public services, creating hardship for the general public across districts, he said.

Terming the agitating employees' conduct as "totally unbecoming" of responsible government servants and a violation of service rules and conduct guidelines, he said district collectors are asked to reject leave applications and ensure the regular attendance of employees.

He said show-cause notices need to be issued to those absent without proper sanction, and their salaries would be withheld for the period of absence.

The unauthorised leave period will also be treated as a break in service and recorded in the service book, the ACS said.

The striking employees' association, Odisha Rajaswa Amala Sangha (ORAS), claimed that they were forced to take to agitation as successive governments have ignored their genuine demands.

The demands included publication of District Revenue Ministerial Cadre Rules to enable overdue promotions, inclusion of all eligible district offices and staff in the Revenue Ministerial Service Cadre, implementation of Uniform Pay Structure with pay upgrades and creation of a new ASO post among others. PTI AAM NN