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Hike in pay: Priests threaten agitation
It always appeared like that the priests in Telangana State have nearly achieved their long-pending demand for payment of salaries through the State treasury. But so much so it remained an elusive dream for the last three years. And what is holding up the government that vowed several times to fulfil the demand of the Archakas is baffling.
Hyderabad: It always appeared like that the priests in Telangana State have nearly achieved their long-pending demand for payment of salaries through the State treasury. But so much so it remained an elusive dream for the last three years. And what is holding up the government that vowed several times to fulfil the demand of the Archakas is baffling.
With there was no headway in the issue, the priests under the aegis of Telangana Archaka Udyoga JAC have decided to step up the protest phase-wise from Thursday beginning with black badge protest. Thereafter, all the Arjitha sevas will come to a grinding halt from September 13. If the government still turns a deaf ear to their demand, they have decided to go on indefinite hunger strike.
The issue dated back to the times of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the priests, who were demanding salaries through treasury, were assured of amicable solution by the TRS government as soon as it took over the reins in Telangana State. After waiting for about a year, the priests resorted to three-day protest in June 2015 and 11-day protest a couple of months later.
The government, which agreed in principle to hike the honorarium of the Archakas under Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam (DDN) scheme from Rs 2,500 to Rs 6,000 a month, and salaries of temple priests and staff through treasury, had constituted a three-member committee headed by the Joint Secretary (Finance) Ch V Sai Prasad to study the modalities. The committee took nine months to submit its report on the ground that the Endowment Department did not provide them with the details of the priests and employees.
Then the issue was entrusted to the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy with Ministers Tummala Nageshwara Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Jupally Krishna Rao and Naini Narasimha Reddy to make recommendations on it.
Although, the government assured of providing salaries under a separate head, there was no headway on the issue. Later, the priests had announced to go on strike from July 5 but held back their decision when the government promised to speed up the process. Since then there was no progress.
Speaking to The Hans India, the JAC State convener Gangu Bhanu Murthy said: “The protest which begins with black badges on September 7 will be intensified phase-wise if the government fails to fulfil our justifiable demand of paying salaries like anyone in the Endowments Department.
