DA crisis: Joint forum ‘upset’ SC hearing postponed, to continue stir

Kolkata, April 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) The joint forum of the West Bengal government employees, spearheading the movement against non-payment of dearness allowance arrears by the state government, was upset over postponement of a crucial hearing in the matter at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

However, the joint forum representatives announced that while waiting for the next course of hearing in the matter scheduled on April 24, they will continue with their other forms of movements in the matter till their demands are fulfilled.

The hearing in this matter was supposed to take place before the apex court's division bench of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday. However, the hearing was again postponed till April 24.

Admitting that the repeated postponement of hearing in the matter at the apex court might bring about some frustration among the agitating employees, Debaprasad Halder, of the joint forum, said that from the previous verdicts in the matter including that of the Calcutta High Court, it is clear that the state government's argument on this matter does not hold much ground. "So, our appeal to them is to hold patience since ultimately the victory will be ours," he said.

Meanwhile, after a division bench of Calcutta High Court advised the West Bengal government to arrange a solution meeting with the agitators by April 17, the joint forum has agreed to send a three-member delegation for the meeting.

However, the forum has set three pre-conditions for the meeting - withdrawal of the state government petition at the apex court challenging the verdict of a division bench of Calcutta High Court last year directing the government to clear Dearness Allowance arrears; withdrawal of show-cause notice issued to the some employees for participating in a strike last month; and finally withdrawal of the orders for punitive transfers to certain employees for participating in the strike.

Source: IANS