Chittoor: Teachers' stage massive protest seeking better PRC

Chittoor: Under the banner of FAPTO (Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers' Organisations) teachers working in government schools in the district staged a massive protest here on Thursday demanding the government better pay revision and also withdrawing of the GOs issued after the recent declaration of PRC report curtailing House Rent Allowance (HRA) and other facilities.

FAPTO, a confederation of various teachers unions, called for the protest statewide to press the government to ensure better pay revision. Despite the repressive measures unleashed by the police district wide including house arrests of union leaders including the trade unions that have extended support to the statewide 'Chalo Collectorate', detaining the teachers, leaders coming from mandals to Chittoor to participate in the protest and also barricades at all roads in the town leading to collectorate, the teachers including women in large numbers were able to reach the collectorate at Reddygunta area on the town outskirts to join in the protest.

The protestors, who indulged in sloganeering against the government and demanding better pay revision tried to storm into the collectorate, ignoring the barricades leading to a tussle between the teachers and the police resulting in tension gripping the area. In the jostling that went on for about an hour, few teachers including union leaders sustained minor injuries. The protest continued for about three hours and the teachers dispersed after a delegation of leaders of various unions submitted a memorandum to DRO Mural on the demands of FAPTO.

In Tirupati, TTD employees union leader M Nagarjuna was first kept under house arrest and later detained in Alipiri police station and was let off in the evening while another TTD employees leader G Venkatesh was also kept under police watch in his office to prevent the duo who declared support to 'Chalo Collectorate' to prevent them in participating in it.

Meanwhile, leaders of various political parties strongly condemned the preventive arrests of union leaders in various places in the district and also the police repressive measures. The leaders included CPI national secretary K Narayana, district secretary G Rama Naidu, CITU district general secretary K Murali who slammed the government for trying to suppress the lawful protests.