Non-regular forest employees on indefinite dharna for job permanent

BHUBANESWAR: Hundreds of non-regular forest employees demanding job regularisation, Odisha Non-regular Forest Employees Association (ONFEA), sat on an indefinite dharna on Wednesday at PMG square here.

According to them, they have been demanding for permanent of their job during 15-25 years. They work in the dangerous dense forests amidst the fear of Maoists and wild animals, but the Government is not listening to them; though other 3^rd and 4^th grade employees of different departments have already been regularised.

“They have already organised rallies, dharna, agitation for the purpose, but all attempts of the DLR employees gone futile. They work round the clock and get Rs 2,300 less than a daily labourer, which is very less to run the kitchen of a five member family excluding children’s schooling, health check up etc.”, lamented secretary of ONFEA Lingaraj Patnaik.

“We kept patience for 20 years. We have faced harsh reality of administrative conspiracy for our regularisation, but now we gathered here to sit on indefinite dharna till our demand is fulfilled,” Patnaik told The Pioneer.