Deadline set for TTD EO to resolve staff demands

Tirupati: TTD employees on Thursday gave an ultimatum to the management and set August 15 as deadline to resolve all their 22 demands. The leaders of the employees’ associations, who held a meeting with TTD Executive Officer (EO) Anil Kumar Singhal here today made it clear that they will resort to agitation from August 16 and will intensify it in phased manner if the management failed to concede the long pending demands.

The employee’s leaders expressed serious concern on splurging of TTD funds derived from the devotees’ offerings in the name of construction of Kalyana Mandapam, Bhajana mandirs and taking over unviable temples bowing to political pressures and on political considerations adding more to the burden of TTD which ultimately the leaders feared threaten the very existence of the biggest Hindu religious institution.

They all strongly resented the management giving administrative powers to Local Advisory Committees (LACs) resulting in the LACs chairman and members harassing the employees and in one voice sought to withdraw the administrative powers to LACs.

The EO, who lend a patient hearing on the employees woes and demands, told that they he would hold a detailed discussion with his senior officials on the 22 demands to resolve them with the approval of the trust board, according to TTD Staff and Workers Front leader M Nagarjuna, who participated in the meeting with EO.

Though the TTD management in writing assured four years back to provide house site to all eligible employees, take up recruitment of 8,000 vacant posts to ease burden on the employees and also enhance salaries of contract employees following the norm of equal pay to equal work as per the Supreme Court direction, it was yet to be implemented. Due to apathy of management the regular employees’ strength which was 16,000 came down to 8,000 now, he said.

Leaders including SC, ST Employees Association Prasad and Thyagaraja, Women Employees Association leader Kalpana said the other 22 demands include introducing a special medical policy for employees working in TTD for availing super specialty medical facility, management quota for employees children admission in SVIMS Padmavathi Medical College, SV Ayurvedic College, amendment to the 28 years TTD GO 1060 so as to ensure at least one promotion to the employee in her service, reservation of 10 per cent to eligible non-teaching staff for appointment as teachers and lecturers in TTD educational institutions, taking up promotion of compassionate appointees, modernisation of TTD press, construction of meeting hall for employees in TTD Administrative Complex and improvement of facilities in TTD employees quarters in the city.

TTD Joint Council of Associations, BC Association, Senior Officers Association and leader from various departments were also attended in the 45-minute-long meeting with EO Singhal.