'No work no pay' does not apply to striking Ministers

Another first of its kind ‘confrontation’ exists in the state with no precedent occurring anywhere in the country in the past with so many ministers staying away from their offices.

All the 12 Telangana region ministers, who went on strike from July 4th, will however receive their monthly emoluments as usual.

The rule ‘No Work No Pay’ does not apply to them, said a source, which chose to remain anonymous.

Law of the land differs in application when it involves VVIPs. An official from the general administration department replied in affirmative when asked whether the cited ministers who had kept off their ministerial chambers and struck work would get their pay packets.

“One rule for one and another rule for others,” was how a source expressed his ire against the impartial way of payments.

Work suffered, developmental schemes also received a jolt and public too had been inconvenienced. It is a set-back to the administration on the whole.

Another officer from the finance department refused to be drawn into any controversy such as this and avoided any reply as it involved ministers.

Interestingly the same GAD was said to have been engaged in the deliberations ,how to prepare remittances of the staff in case they struck work on August 1st , as per the strike notice which was already served by the Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee leaders headed by Swamy Gowd to the Chief Secretary earlier this month.

According to sources, those at the helm of affairs in the general administration were facing a baffling problem as convincing replies to the staff were scarce.

Each minister draws not less than Rs 1 lakh including all perks, fringe benefits, allowances plus secretarial assistance and free transport.

The ministers chose to keep aloof from their palatial AC chambers in the Secretariat not to force any constitutional crisis but only to remind the powers that be over the most controversial issue which was kept on back burner.

Their idea was only to mount pressure on the State and Central Governments over separate statehood for Telangana.

Only exceptions were Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, Labour Minister Danam Nagender and Marketing Minister Mukesh Gowd who boycotted their colleagues’ ‘protest program.