Nagaland: 73 Adhoc Govt Teachers On Indefinite Hunger Strike After Regularisation Demand Not Met

The ANATG spokesperson Bendangtemsu Ozukum that there are around 73 volunteers who have come forward for the hunger strike while others will continue with the peaceful sit-in. 

Ozukum said that there are around 73 volunteers who have come forward for the hunger strike while others will continue with the peaceful sit-in. 

New Delhi: The Adhoc government teachers in Nagaland have launched an indefinite hunger strike due to the lack of any positive response from the state government to their demand for immediate service regularisation. The strike comes four days since the peaceful protest outside the state civil secretariat, started by the All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group (ANATG)-2015 Batch, as per PTI. 

The ANATG spokesperson Bendangtemsu Ozukum told reporters that its 1166 members took part in the protest. However, there has been no positive response from either the state government or the department of school education to their demand.

“We have patiently and peacefully protested for four days, but with no sign of positive response from the government, the emergency general meeting of the ANATG-2015 Batch decided to change the mode of agitation to hunger strike," Ozukum was quoted by PTI.

"Henceforth, ANATG will not accept any negotiations but continue the agitation till our demand for service regularisation is met,” he said.

Ozukum said that there are around 73 volunteers who have come forward for the hunger strike while others will continue with the peaceful sit-in. 

The All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) had approached the commissioner and secretary of school education on Thursday but there was no positive outcome, the spokesperson added.

Principal Director of the Directorate of School Education, Thavaseelan K on Tuesday said that the members of the ANATG-2015 batch are not illegal appointees but they were appointed "irregularly without following proper norms" against sanctioned posts at different times, PTI reported.

He also said that it is not that the department does not want to help them to get their service regularised but the department and the government are constrained because of the standing order of the Supreme Court and High Court not to regularise any ad hoc appointees.

The department has also suggested the Adhoc teachers move the court to vacate the order, without which it would not be possible to regularise their service, PTI reported.

ANATG has on the other hand claimed that despite the courts' orders other government departments have regularised the services of their Adhoc appointees.