BISHNUPUR, April 15: Altogether 10, 448 VDF personnel posted in the nine districts of the State have decided to resign from their job and return home in case the government fails to fulfil their demands within 48 hours with effect from April 14 midnight.
Announcing the call to this IFP correspondent, L Deban, president of All Manipur VDF Welfare Association said that the association was compelled to call a 24-hour general strike from yesterday midnight, as the government has utterly failed to address their demands despite repeated request made.
He questioned the government as to how VDF personnel with monthly pay of Rs 4000 could sustain livelihood of their families.
Cautioning that the association will also resort to launch indefinite economic blockade along the National Highways if the government fails to give a positive response to their genuine demands within the set deadline, he made it clear that the government should held sole responsibility if any untoward incident arises thereof.
He expressed gratitude to those civil society organizations which extended co-operation to the association in pursuit of its demands.
Regretting that 24 vehicles in Senapati, 12 in Kangpokpi and 15 in Ukhrul were damaged during the course of the strike imposed by the association, he admitted that a heated scuffle broke out between supporters of the strike and IRB personnel at Nungba Bazar after which two VDF personnel were held captive.
Business establishments in Moreh were downed shutter during the strike. Private including inter-city passenger service also came to a grinding halt. There were reports of damage of many vehicles in different parts of the state, he said.
Referring to a programme aired in ISTV Network yesterday wherein it stated that the legitimate demands of the VDF could not be fulfilled for the time being, the president of the VDF association said that the government should take up necessary steps to fulfil the demands at the earliest instead of without waiting patience of the VDF personnel to run out.