20-hour road blockade by polling officials

By Our Staff Reporter

KHAJIPET(Cuddapah Dt), AUG. 18. As many as 294 polling officers and clerks who performed polling duties in 11 panchayats in Mydukur mandal staged a road blockade at Khajipet on Cuddapah- Kurnool national highway for over 20 hours from Friday evening, alleging shortfall in payment of TA and DA rather than what was promised earlier.

The protesters, all of them teachers, placed empty ballot boxes on the national highway and squatted in dharna, disrupting vehicular movement and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded since 6 p.m. yesterday. They alleged that the Khajipet MDO, Dr. C. Venkatesh, was paying them only Rs. 322 for polling officers and Rs. 235 for polling staff despite the ZP Chief Executive Officer, Mr. V. N. Brahmendra Rao's promise to pay Rs. 550 for polling officers and Rs. 450 for polling clerks before handing over election material.

With neither the MDO nor the MRO nor any senior official intervening to settle the issue, the protesters turned irate around midnight and assaulted the MDO office superintendent, Mr. Nagamallaiah, Senior Assistant, Mrs. Sujanamma, and the typist, Mr. Karimullah, damaged furniture and snatched some files, declaration forms to be given to winning candidates and result sheets and tore them away, leading to tension.

Subsequently, the Mydukur Circle Inspector, Mr. Rangaswamy, the Khajipet SI, Mr. Sudhakar, and policemen lathicharged the protesting employees around 1 a.m. causing injuries to half a dozen polling personnel, including women. However, the protesters continued to squat on the roads demanding the promised remuneration as well as suspension of the MDO and CI for the lathicharge. The police diverted vehicular traffic on other routes today.

As the polling personnel refused to budge despite the nodal officer, Mrs. Lalana Kumari's bid to pacify them, the district Panchayat Officer, Dr. G. Shankaraiah, and the Cuddapah RDO, Mr. M. Venkateshwar Rao, visited Khajipet and after telephonic consultation with the district Collector, Mr. Adhar Sinha, agreed to pay Rs. 532 for polling officers and Rs. 432 for polling clerks towards remuneration for three days.

The RDO announced that the Collector directed withdrawal of all cases booked by the police against the protesting teachers. He announced a compensation of Rs. 3000 and Rs. 2000 to the injured teachers depending on the injuries sustained by them.

They agreed to enquire into the demands for the suspension of the MDO and the CI and submit a report to the Collector.

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Section  : Southern States
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