Water tankers stranded after the strike in Imphal on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections
Imphal, March 14: The Manipur government today sent feelers to its striking employees for talks on their demand for the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations in toto.
Confirming it, a senior leader of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC), spearheading the ceasework, told this correspondent that talks could take place in the next few days.
“Talks may take place when chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh returns from New Delhi or with a team of ministers in his absence. We responded positively and are waiting for the government to fix the day for talks,” the leader said.
Ibobi Singh is in Delhi for fixing the state’s annual plan size for the next fiscal.
The move followed employees of the state water supply department joining the ceasework and reports that the employees of the power department and those of the state secretariat have decided to join the strike in the next few days. Defying a government order banning strikes by workers of essential services, the employees of the water supply department shut off taps from March 12.
Taps across the state ran dry for the third consecutive day today, forcing people to depend on unhygienic water collected from ponds and rivers for household chores besides drinking purposes.
Water dealers are having a boom time with people buying water at Rs 5 a litre. Hotels and eateries here also complained that their stock was running out and they might shut down business if the supply was not restored in the next few days.
Imphal city is now entirely depending on supply by the water dealers who collect water from the Kangla moat.
“We have a small community pond which is highly polluted. But we have to depend on it as there is no other source. The pond is drying up as so many people around here are collecting water from it,” Binata Devi, a resident of Porompat in Imphal East, said.
The employees of the power department have also decided to join the agitation. Though no date has been fixed for snapping power lines, they are likely to issue strike notice to the government tomorrow.
The employees of the state secretariat have decided to wear black badges on Monday and Tuesday in the support of the demand for the implementation of the hiked pay in toto. This will be followed by mass casual leave for three days from Wednesday. After this, the employees are expected to join the ceasework.
Police have started hunting for the leaders of the council. JAC sources said they went into hiding after the police, looking for them, repeatedly came to their houses.
The leaders also closed their office at Babupara in Imphal city where the quarters of the ministers and MLAs are located. There is, however, no report of arrest of any leader of the employees’ council.
