Port Blair, May 15: CITU-affiliated Andaman Sarvajanik Nirman Vibhag Mazdoor Sangh (ASNVMS) has demanded to grant 1/30th of pay plus DA benefits to the DRMs from 22nd September, 2017 as ordered by the Calcutta High Court at Calcutta. In a letter sent to the Lt Governor, A & N Islands, BC BhattaCharjee, Vice President, ASNVMS drew the attention of the Lt Governor to the order bearing No. 1283 dated 9th May, 2023 issued by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration granting 1/30th of pay plus DA to the remaining daily rated mazdoors working in APWD and other departments under the A & N Administration. He said that this order was issued to implement the judgment and order dated 19th December, 2022 of the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court in the matter of Lt. Governor-vs-ASNVMS (MA/09/2020).
ASNVMS told the Lt Governor that the Division Bench while disposing of the Appeal filed by the Appellant Govt. of India/A & N Admin against the judgment dated 13th December, 2019 of the single judge of Calcutta High Court, had directed the Appellants to grant the financial benefit of 1/30th of pay plus DA at the relevant scale of pay to all the daily rated mazdoors working under the A & N Administration within 2 months with effect from 22nd September, 2017, the date on which the Administration had issued an OM bearing No. 289 to extend the 1/30th of pay plus benefits to DRMs with certain conditions.
The ASNVNS told the Lt Governor that after a period of nearly five months from the date of judgment of the Division Bench, the Administration has issued the order No. 1283 dated 9th May, 2023 extending the 1/30th of pay plus DA to all DRMs with effect from the date of issue of the said order (9th May, 2023). In this order, the Administration has unnecessarily imposed a condition of obtaining an undertaking from each of the DRMs. Terming these conditions unwarranted and in violation of the judgment of the High Court (Division Bench), CITU affiliated Union told the Lt. Governor that the workers are eligible for the said benefit from 22nd September, 2017 as per the judgment of the Division Bench.
The CITU-affiliated Union told the Lt Governor that the said benefit has been achieved by the workers after conducting a long period of agitation and court cases spanning over a period of 3 decades. In fact, the workers are eligible for the 1/30th of pay plus DA from 1988 or from the date of initial appointment as the case may be as per the Govt. of India’s order of 1988.
It is regrettable that the Administration has dishonored even the order of the Division Bench of the High Court while dealing with the rightful benefits of the poor workers, said the Union.
ASNVMS Vice President, therefore, requested the Lt Governor to reconsider the office order bearing No. 1283 dated 9th May, 2023 issued by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration granting 1/30th of pay plus DA to the remaining daily rated mazdoors working in various departments under the A & N Administration and make the said order effective from 22nd September, 2017 and, thus, honor the order of the Division Bench of the High Court at Calcutta. Lt Governor was also urged to dispense with the unnecessary condition of each DRM furnishing the undertaking as the same is also in violation of the order of the High Court.
Leave a Reply