IMPHAL, September 25: The contractual Staff of the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (AMTA), Agriculture Department of Manipur, has announced to launch a series of agitation in protest against the failure of the department to implement the extension term of the staff.
In the first leg of its agitation, the employees will organise a sit in demonstration on September 27 at its office complex of Sanjenthong, Imphal,
Speaking to IFP in this regard, an insider disclosed that the contractual staffs have not been getting their salary for over four months now due to the non-implementation of their extension term. There are a total of 87 staffs under ATMA.
Further elaborating on the matter, the sources pointed out that 108 staffs were recruited by the Agriculture Department in 2011 on contact basis for one year.
The main objective of ATMA was to assist in the centrally sponsors scheme “Support to the State Extension Programme for Extension Reforms”.
With the contract of the ATMA employees coming to an end, the employees were informed that another extension order was released by the Secretariat Agriculture Department on April 18 last. Despite, the extension order the Director of Agriculture failed to issue any order to sign the contract agreement.
On May 6, another extension approval was issued by the secretariat Agricultural Department, said the sources.
Despite the repeated appeal of the ATMA employees to implement the extension term the authority concerned remained indifferent to the demand, said the sources adding that it warned to launch a series of democratic form of agitation if the demands are not acted upon.