M A I N   N E W S

Work resumes in Delhi
Cracks appear in postal strike

NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (UNI) — Cracks have appeared among the Postal strikers as all 575 post offices in the national Capital functioned normally today while elsewhere in the country the 12-day strike continued paralysing mail services.

In Delhi, post offices functioned without any hitch. Customers were seen thronging the various counters.

The employees resumed work after they feared arrests or termination of services under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) invoked by the Delhi Government last evening, banning the stir in the Capital.

Meanwhile, a top-ranking postal official at the New Delhi circle said about 9,000 bags containing 300 mails each were being sorted out and the process of despatch would start soon.

Although the head post office wore a deserted look there were staff behind the counters ready to attend to customers but they were few in numbers, probably not aware of the change. “Three hundred of our staff here, which is nearly the total strength, are at work’’, Mr Vasudeo, Head Post Master told UNI.

However, the strike continues in other parts of the country. The three federations spearheading the agitation for pushing higher wages and regularising 300,000 extra-departmental employees today said at a meeting that “in spite of ESMA and other strong-arm tactics of the government the strike will continue till all demands are met’’, according to secretary-general of Bharatiya Postal Employes Federation V.S. Yadav.

Today is the 12th day of the countrywide indefinite strike. Last evening, the Delhi Government invoked ESMA to prohibit any strike or agitation by employees of the Department of Posts in the national Capital territory region.

“Lieutenant-Governor Vijai Kapoor has enforced the provisions of the Haryana ESMA, 1974, as extended to the NCT of Delhi banning strike or agitation by any employee of the postal services managed by the Department of Posts for a period of six months,’’ an official spokesman said here.

The Centre had yesterday directed the state governments to take appropriate action to tackle law and order problems that may have arisen after the stir had been declared illegal.

Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, “The Cabinet Secretary has written a letter to all Chief Secretaries of states asking them to take appropriate measures to maintain law and order situation in the states.’’

However, sources in the ministry said ESMA could be invoked only in six states — Karnataka, Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh. The rest will be dealt under the purview of the Industrial Disputes Act.

Meanwhile, mail continues to pile up in post offices across the country since staff walked out to press claims for higher wages and full benefits and pension rights for 300,000 part-time employees. The government had accepted three out of five key demands but could not agree to calls for higher wages and pensions for part-timers.