The 42-day strike by the Government staff in the Telangana region of the State is set to end with the representatives of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) holding final talks with the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, late in the evening.
This comes in as a Diwali gift to the State staff, who will get a month's salary as advance.
Several negotiations were held between the representatives of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) of employees, officers, teachers and workers, to end the general strike by the State Government. However, while there was agreement on most issues, they found it tough to resolve issues relating to strike period. However, with the Chief Minister's intervention all issues have been sorted out.
During the day, the TJAC held separate rounds of negotiations with the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Damodar Rajanarasimha, and the Group of Ministers (GoM).
The talks under way between the Group of Ministers and the representatives of TJAC of employees have ended on a positive note, according to Mr Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, State Minister for Finance.
Employees of State Government in all of the Telangana region had struck work in support of ‘Sakala Janula Samme,' which resulted in general non-cooperation in the region, resulting in work and general administration being severely impacted.
The normal functioning of various departments and services agencies in the region were adversely affected causing loss to the State exchequer.
Earlier, two other major corporations, the State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, and the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) had announced withdrawal of strike following negotiations and amicable settlement with the Government.
Educational institutions too have begun to function normally. With Government staff too joining the mainstream, situation is expected to return to normalcy.
According to the talks with the GoM, they decided to provide one month salary as advance to staff and withdraw cases booked against them during the agitation period. However, offences of severe nature committed by the staff would be referred to the Advocate General for his final nod as to how to go about them.
The TJAC Convenor, Prof. Kodandaram, described Sakala Janula Samme as a movement that has impacted the overall thinking of the Centre towards creation of separate State.
He said that the movement would continue and follow up action taken as required. He also suggested that November 1, celebrated as AP Formation Day, would be observed as a day of protests.