Junior and outsourcing panchayat secretaries in Nalgonda are on a 15-day strike, demanding that their jobs be made permanent. As part of their protests, they played Bathukamma and even got into ponds and reservoirs in some places. Despite the government’s warning that they would be fired if they didn’t end the strike by Tuesday evening, no notices have been served. The protesters are planning to intensify their strike until their demands are met.
In Nalgonda district, 648 junior panchayat staff and 82 outsourcing staff out of 730 are on strike. Although 110 of them returned to work on Tuesday evening, the strike has not been called off. Officials are concerned about the impact on governance in gram panchayats due to the strike. Protests have also taken place in Yadadri Bhongir district and Suryapet districts. The protesters are even considering legal action if the government follows through with its threat to fire them.
