Haryana invokes ESMA
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Dec 8 — The Haryana Government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state to deal with the one-day statewide strike proposed for December 11.

The government had reportedly decided to strictly adhere to the "no work, no pay" policy this time to tackle with the strikers.

The call for the strike has been given by the Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh and several other organisations with allegiance to the Left parties.

It is learnt that the government has directed all Deputy Commissioners not to sanction leave to any employee on December 11 and to send the attendance report to the government.

The government has reportedly directed the authorities to prepare a list of top leaders of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh to arrest them if required. But smelling danger, the leaders have started going underground, it is learnt.

The government had recently directed the imposition of Article 144 in various districts to maintain law and order. The Section is in force in the city! After differences among the employees and the decision of the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh to abstain itself from the proposed strike, the government is hopeful that the strike call may evoke a poor response. A majority of government employees are reportedly unhappy at the decision of the organisation to observe a strike together with the Left parties.

Mr Mahasingh Kataria, an assistant in the Agriculture Department here, alleges that activists of the Sangh have been influenced by a party and ‘sacrificed’ the interests of the employees.

Earlier, the government had registered cases under the ESMA against 2,200 employees and suspended 500 on the charge of taking part in the September 16 strike. The call for the strike then was given by the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh.

Despite repeated appeals by various employee associations to withdraw the cases and restore the services of the employees, the government has not relented so far.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Haryana Jan Sangathan Manch and the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, criticising the imposition of the ESMA and Article 144 in the state, claim that 2.5 lakh employees will strike work on December 11 to express resentment against the "anti-employees" policy of the government.

Mr Indrajit Singh, state secretary of the CPM, has called upon the employees to participate in the strike in large numbers. Besides, the CITU, the Kisan Sabha, the Naujawan Sabha, the Janwadi Mahila Samiti, the Khet Majdoor Union, the UTUC (Lenin table), the Bank Employees Association and the Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan have backed the strike. These union and organisations have constituted a ‘jan sangathan manch’ and submitted a 31-point demands' charter to the government.

The main demands are a check on price rise, privatisation and retrenchment, 33 per cent reservation for women, implementation of the crop insurance scheme, education and employment for all and restoration of the services of the suspended and terminated employees.

KURUKSHETRA (UNI): A prohibitory order under Section 144, Cr. P.C., has been imposed with immediate effect in the district in the wake of the strike called by the state employees and various organisations on December 11.

Orders to this effect were issued by District Magistrate Alok Nigam.

Carrying of arms, firearms, weapons and other articles capable of causing injury have been prohibited.