DA row: Cal HC directs govt to hold talks with agitating employees

MP | 6 Apr 2023 | Kolkata: A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Thursday, directed the West Bengal government to initiate a dialogue with the protesting state government employees by April 17 relating to the issue of pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears. 

The division bench comprising acting Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya directed the state government to hold a meeting with a three-member delegation representing the state government employees. 

The meeting should be aimed at breaking the impasse that prevails presently surrounding the issue of pending Dearness Allowance (DA). The court made it clear that the state has to reach a solution over this matter through this meeting.  The court has also ordered that this meeting be held in the presence of state Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi and state’s Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Manoj Pant. 

The forum of protesting employees, who were staging protests over the pending DA, said that they became more disappointed when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly referred to them as “thieves” and “dacoits” from her dharna podium recently. 

Now, the members of the forum are looking ahead to a meeting with either President Droupadi Murmu or Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar next week to raise their demands. During the President’s recent visit to Kolkata, the employees had sent her a mass email entailing their demands. 

A team of 500 representatives of the joint forum is expected to reach New Delhi by April 9 and attend a two-day sit-in demonstration there on April 10 and April 11 during which they are hoping to meet with the President or the Vice-President or both. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/da-row-cal-hc-directs-govt-to-hold-talks-with-agitating-employees-514268?infinitescroll=1