State govt ultimatum to strikng JPSs: Join duties by 5 pm today or lose jobs

HYDERABAD: The state government on Monday issued an ultimatum to striking junior panchayat secretaries (JPS), directing them to join duties by 5 pm on Tuesday, May 9, failing which their services would be terminated.

Over 9,500 JPSs are on strike since April 28, demanding regularisation of their services as they have completed four years in probation, against the three years stipulated by the government. They were appointed in 2019 on probation for two years till 2021, but it was extended by one more year later till 2022.

According to the notice served by panchayat raj and rural development principal secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, the JPSs had formed a union in violation of their agreement with the government.

They had also declared that they would not stake claim to be appointed on a regular basis. Regularisation of service of any contract employee cannot be for all and would be based on the assessment and evaluation of their performance by a committee constituted by the government, he said.

“Only the performance of contract employees, whose service was satisfactory, would only be regularised,” he said, adding that despite all these rules and regulations, the JPSs had formed a union and went on strike, which was unlawful.