Junior Panchayat Secretaries call off strike, rejoin duties on Monday

Hyderabad: Over 9,500 junior panchayat secretaries (JPSs) rejoined duty on Monday, ending their strike that had started on April 29 to demand regularisation of their services. They withdrew the strike after the government promised to look into their demand if they reported back to work.

Telangana Junior Panchayat Secretaries Federation (TJPSF) president J. Srikanth Goud said that they had decided to withdraw the agitation on the assurance of minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao that he would take their demand of job regularisation to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

"The minister told us that the CM was in favour of regularising our services if we call off our strike. We have trust the government," Goud said.

The strike by JPSs disrupted public services in villages; JPSs play a key role in maintaining cleanliness, sanitation, streetlights, drinking water supply, issuance of birth, death, residence, income certificates among others.

On May 8, the state government had issued an ultimatum to the JPSs to rejoin duties by 5 pm on May 9 or face termination of service. Most JPSs ignored the government though about 650 of them agreed to go back to work. A few of them later returned to the strike.

The state government on Friday last issued another notice to join duties by Saturday else the state government will appoint temporary JPSs on Sunday in their place. Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari issued instructions to district collectors to take steps to appoint temporary JPS.

This forced the JPSs to meet minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao.