GUWAHATI, March 21 ? The State Government offices all over the State including the State Secretariat, the nerve centre of the administration, was paralysed in the second half for the fifth day today because of the ceasework by employees. The agitating employees led by Sadou Asam Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) paralysed work at the State Secretariat here despite deployment of a large number of CRPF personnel in and around the capital complex today. The State employees have been agitating for non-payment of salaries for the month of February by the cash-strapped Tarun Gogoi Government till date. The SAKP claims that majority of employees in the State did not receive their salaries for the month of January too as the payments were made in State treasuries only for two days last month. The SAKP secretary general, Sri Charan Deka, today decried State Government?s bid to terrorise the employees of State Secretariat through heavy deployment of CRPF personnel in the capital complex. He warned another intensive spell of agitation if the government fails to pay the salaries.
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India was yet to lift the ban on government payments as the State overdraft stood at about Rs 900 crore. The State Government required over Rs 399 crore to pay salaries and pension every month. For the last few years, the State Government has remained preoccupied with mobilising sufficient fund to pay salaries and pension every month. It may be mentioned that the Congress party, on the eve of the last Assembly polls in the State, criticised the then AGP Government for its failure to pay salaries to its employees regularly and promised regular payment of the same in case the party was voted to power.
Meanwhile, Assam College Teachers? Association (ACTA) today threatened to stage a dharna in front of the office of Director of Higher Education on March 26 next, in case the State Government failed to pay salaries to college teachers on or before March 25 next.