[Assam] Same coin ????

[Shantikam Hazarika]

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Shantikam hazarika

ECoR staff gherao GM office over contribution to relief fund

Hundreds of employees of the East Coast Railway on Monday gheraoed their
General Manager AK Goyal and demanded that their one-day salary not be
deducted and sent to the Railway Minister's Relief Fund.

"While our people are reeling under the impact of a severe flood, our money
should not be sent to the flood-affected people of Bihar," the employees
said. They further alleged that the money donated to the Railway Minister's
Relief Fund would totally be utilised by the whims of the Railway Minister
Lalu Prasad Yadav. Around 42,000 employees are working under the
jurisdiction of the East Coast Railway.

"The administration is forcibly deducting one day's salary through pressure
tactics without taking into account of Employee's consent, though it is
purely voluntarily. The administration has already advanced a cheque of Rs
90 lakhs toward the RMRF for floods in north Bihar," the employees said in a
Press release.

They further said when a super-cyclone had struck the State in 1999 no
contribution had been made from the Railway. "We have already appealed to
the General Manager of East Coast Railway to contribute for the
flood-affected people of Orissa. But it had fallen into deaf ears of the
administration," they said.

Though all efforts were made to contact the GM, he was not available. Till
the filing of the report, the gherao was continuing.




Lalu Prasad Yadav is seen as a villain.

The Union Railway Minister, known for his apathetic attitude for Orissa in
funding Railway Projects, has played havoc on some of the flood victims of
the
state.

Thanks to the Railway Minister's directive most of the flood victims were
forced to donate their hard earned money for the victims of flood in Bihar.

It was all together a peculiar situation for some of flood affected persons
in
Orissa, who happens to be employees of the East Coast Railways (ECOR).

There are 35,000 employees in ECOR Zone.

The persons who have lost their houses in the devastating floods in Orissa
are
asked by the Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to make contribution for the
flood in North Bihar.

Angry over the ECOR authorities action of deducting a day's salary,
thousands
of employees on 22 September staged demonstration in front of the General
Manager's office here.

They too demanded that the employees were ready to contribute to the Orissa
Floods instead of flood victims in Bihar.

Bihar has already received Rs.1000 crore from the Central Government kitty.

The employees led by their leader P R Mohanty argued that they used to
donate
Rs.100 each to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund during any disaster of high
magnitude in the country.

This time round they were asked to contribute to the Railway Minister's
Welfare and Relief Fund.

They pointed out that the authorities have already deducted Rs.90 lakh
rupees
from their salary without their consent.

They sought explanation from the General Manager for this whimsical and
dictatorial action.

ECOR spokesperson however said that the employees are not forced to donate
the
amount.

But the angry employees however continued to gherao General Manager's office
till late in the night.