Jobless veterinary diploma holders climb water tank

Vijayawada: A few unemployed youths climbed the water tank at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium on Thursday demanding that the government announce veterinary assistant posts.

As many as 70 unemployed veterinary diploma holders from various parts of the State staged a protest demonstration in front of Veterinary Director's office and 40 members proceeded towards the water tank and about eight youth climbed the water tank carrying syringes, blades, and bottles filled with kerosene. However, the police brought the situation under control by arresting them.

The Andhra Pradesh Veterinary Polytechnic Unemployees Union leaders Anusha Mayuri, Sankar P, Ravikiran and others climbed atop the tank carrying syringes, blades, and bottles filled kerosene and threatened the government that they would jump from the top of water tank and cut them with blades if the government did not make announcement over filling of posts.

On receiving the information, Machavaram CI Sahera Begum with the police team swung into action and brought the situation under control. She appealed to youth atop the water tank to come down for having talks. In the meantime, some youth tried to cut their wrists with blades and the police arrested the youth before shifting them to Patamata and Machavaram police stations.

Union president Jayaram K said that there were about 600 vacant veterinary assistant posts in the state. He demanded the government to fill all the vacant posts in the veterinary department as per rules and increase the duration of the diploma course from two years to three years and fill the veterinary helpers’ posts with animal husbandry diploma holders.