Jharkhand Secretariat employees go on mass leave, work comes to standstill

Ranchi: Employees of the Jharkhand Secretariat Service have gone on a three-day mass leave starting Tuesday demanding promotions and creation of new posts at various levels.

Their action has led to a temporary halt in operations at the Secretariat and the Directorate, with the mass leave to continue until September 12.

Praveen Toppo, Secretary in the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms, and Official Language, had previously engaged in discussions with the Jharkhand Secretariat Service Association regarding the demands.

However, the negotiations failed to break the deadlock.

Following the association's call, officials, including branch officers, assistant branch officers, undersecretaries, deputy secretaries, and joint secretaries have joined the mass leave.

As a result, work at various offices in Ranchi, including those in Project Building, Nepal House, FFP, and MDI Building, has nearly ceased. Although some Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Jharkhand Administrative Service (JAS) officers reported for duty, they could do nothing due to the absence of subordinate staff.

The protesting officials also held a demonstration in front of the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms, and Official Language in support of their demands.

Secretariat Service Association President Dhruv Prasad said that Chief Minister Hemant Soren had earlier assured the creation of new Deputy Secretary and Joint Secretary posts to facilitate promotions. Despite a state government resolution on employee promotions, Secretariat Service officers have not benefited from these changes, he said.

The Association’s General Secretary Siddharth Besra emphasised that the government must address their legitimate demands, as he warned that if there is no positive response by the end of the three-day mass leave, further actions will be considered.

The union had previously staged protests in June over similar issues.