Non-Gazetted stir from August 12

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Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association on Tuesday served a notice on the state government threatening to go on indefinite strike from August 12 to protest the proposed division of the state.
A delegation of the association led by president P. Ashok Babu and general secretary N. Chandrasekhar Reddy met chief secretary P.K. Mohanty and served the notice. Tension is building up in government offices in the state headquarters with employees from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, and their counterparts belonging to Telangana, competing with each other to hold demonstrations.
Government offices peaceful
Though there are large numbers of government employees from the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, they chose not to counter-demonstrate during the Telangana agitations and the offices at headquarters, thus, remained peaceful.
In Vidyut Soudha, the headquarters of the power utilities, employees almost came to blows when Telugu Desam MLA from Anantapur, P. Keshav, came out in support of the agitating Seemandhra employees. Similarly, in Jala Soudha, the headquarters of the irrigation department, employees of both sides raised slogans.
The AP-Non Gazetted Officers’ Association  ( APNGO) was cautious in drafting the strike notice, avoiding issues not relating to service matters because the rules prescribe that state employees can agitate only on service matters.
They told that they would go on strike if all the Members of Parliament including Union ministers (those belonging to Andhra and Rayalaseema) failed to submit their resignations before the deadline.
“Our MPs are basically businessmen. Perhaps that is the reason they were silent when the Congress Working Commitee announced the division,” said president of the association Ashok Babu.
He maintained that the hardships they will suffer by going on strike is negligible compared to the long-term losses the employees as well as people of the two regions will suffer in the event of division.
“There is uncertainty over options, transfers, promotions, shifting of thousands of families of employees, 10th Pay Commission Revision, health cards and regularisation of contract employees,” Babu said.
The AP-Non Gazetted Officers’ Associaion informed the government that other associations also intend to support their strike due to which all functions of the government by all categories of employees will be suspended.