DA crisis: Calcutta HC directs Mamata govt to hold discussion with agitating employees

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to have a discussion on the issue of pending dearness arrears with the joint forum of state government employees, which is spearheading the movement in the matter.

The division bench of Calcutta High Court's acting Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya directed the state government to fix a meeting on this count with a three-member team of the state government employees on April 17.

The division bench also ordered that the meeting should be in the presence of the state chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi and the state's additional chief secretary (finance) Manoj Pant.

The division bench of Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Bhattacharya also observed that all attempts should be made to arrive at a positive outcome at the meeting on April 17. "The state government should take some decision to resolve the complications arising of the dearness allowance payments," Justice Sivagnanam observed.

The direction of the division bench of the Calcutta High Court comes on a day when the joint forum is observing cease-work in the state government offices in support of their demands. The employees of the different courts in the state, including the Calcutta High Court are also observing cease-work as an expression of solidarity.

Meanwhile, the joint representatives are hopeful of a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and the Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar or any one of them next week in Delhi and present their charter of demands there.

According to the joint forum convenor Biswajit Mitra, their representatives in New Delhi have already started the coordination on this count and they are hopeful of meeting the President and Vice-President or any one of them. "We are also trying to meet other Union ministers so that we can also explain our stand in the matter to them as well," Mitra said.

A team of 500 representatives of the joint forum is expected to reach the national capital by April 9 and attend a two-day sit-in demonstration there on April 10 and April 11. "On any of these two days we are hoping to have our meeting with the President or Vice-President or any one of them," the joint forum convenor said.