TTD forest workers demand CM to fulfill his assurance

Tirupati: Tension prevailed at the Collectorate when police stopped the TTD forest workers, who wanted to stage a dharna, away from the Collectorate here on Monday. Responding to the call for a statewide protest to press the TTD management to resolve their long pending demands, the forest workers under the banner of CITU came in rally to hold the protest but were stopped by the police at a distance leading to a heated altercation between them.

There was jostling when the workers tried to move towards the collectorate and the police had a tough time to stop the protestors who squatted on the road and raised slogans against the police.

As a preventive measure police kept the CITU senior leader under house arrest. Some workers dressed as Sri Venkateswara Swamy and his consorts Sridevi, Bhudevi, saint poet Annamacharya were also in the protest attracting everyone. Forest workers union leader who addressed the gathering demanded the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who when he was in opposition assured to provide time scale to all eligible forest workers in TTD, to fulfill his assurance.

Many people who came from various places to submit petitions on their problems to the collector in the 'Spandana programme' were returned after seeing the tussle between the protestors and police while the police who closed the main entrance did not allow anyone without an identity card to enter the collectorate. Collector K Venkataramana Reddy later invited a delegation of forest workers who explained to him their long pending and 566 day old protest to achieve their demands. The Collector assured the leaders that he would take up their issue with the TTD management for a solution. Forest Workers Union leaders Suresh, Eswar Reddy, Purushotham, Venkata Reddy and others were among the delegation.

Meanwhile, CITU held protests at the Tahsildars' offices in 36 mandals in Tirupati district in support of TTD forest workers.