Tirupati: Opposition urges CM Jagan to fulfil his assurance

Tirupati: The leaders of Opposition parties and trade unions on Wednesday in one voice demanded Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to intervene in the issue of regularisation of TTD Forest employees, who have been observing relay fast for the past 250 days to press for regularisation of their services. Reminding TTD Trust Board decision and also the Chief Minister's assurance when he was in opposition on regularising the services of all the eligible TTD forest employees, the leaders criticised the TTD management apathy in resolving the long-pending issue. The TTD Forest Employees Union affiliated to CITU began the relay fast on November 26 last year demanding the TTD management to regularise the services of the forest employees having a service of 15-20 years in TTD.

Intensifying the stir, the family members of the forest employees, leaders and activists of other political parties TDP, Congress, RPI, INTUC, TNTUC joined the daylong protest held at TTD forest office on Harerama Road here on Wednesday to express their support to the TTD forest employees. CITU district general secretary and Forest Employees Union honorary president K Murali slammed the TTD management for remaining silent despite the workers observing relay fast for more than 8 months in considering the genuine demand of regularisation of employees.

The management has no qualm in splurging pilgrim money under various pretexts but dilly dallying on the genuine issue of the regularisation of forest employees who are toiling round the clock for improving greenery, maintaining gardens and protecting the forests remaining lush green due to their hard work, he said criticising TTD for its apathy in solving the issue.

He alleged that the TTD management was trying to create rift among the employees by assuring to consider regularisation of select employees instead of all eligible employees with a service of 15-20 years. MLC Y Sreenivasulu Reddy, TDP leaders including former MLC and TDP general secretary B Chengalrayulu, party city president D Bhaskar, Corporator R C Munikrishnaiah, RPI state president P Anjaiah, INTUC district president P Naveen Kumar Reddy, CPM leaders including district secretary A Pullaiah, city secretary T Subramanayam and a host of others are among those who spoke in support of the forest employees.

The leaders appealed to local MLAs Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy to take the forest employees issue on humanitarian ground to the CM and TTD management for regularisation of the employees.

Forest Employees Union leaders Suresh and others, who spoke vowed to intensify the stir and added that the employees will resort to indefinite fast if TTD failed to respond on their issue immediately.