Protests against PDO suicides in State
Members of the Zilla Panchayat Officers and Secretaries Welfare Development Association staged a protest march in the City on Friday.
They were demanding the Government to safeguard the interests of the Zilla Panchayat staff, who were being unnecessarily harassed by their higher-ups.
The members, who held a protest at the premises of the assistant commissioner’s office, explained that the Gram Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) faced harassment everday at their workplace. They required protection from the Government, they said.
The said, it was not just sufficient if the Government appointed the Panchayat Development Officers to the Gram Panchayats. It should also ensure them job security and also protection, they said.
Discharge of duties
The PDOs want to discharge their duties honestly and sincerely. But they were stopped form doing so by their higher-ups. They were unnecessarily harassed by their seniors and bosses, the members alleged.
At times, the higher-ups even forced the PDOs to undertake illegal jobs and tasks. And when the latter protested, they were threatened and exploited, the protesting members alleged.
Harassment
They said unable to tolerate the threats and harassment meted out to them by the elected representatives, a PDO in Gulbarga district, Mandakini, had committed suicide. Similary, PDO from Bidar district, Vijaykumar Suryavanshi had also ended his life.
These examples were enough to prove the working conditions of the Panchayat Development Officers.
At least now, the State Government should wake up from its slumber, before it was too late. Otherwise soon several will follow suit, the members expressed.
President of the Zilla Panchayat Officers and Secretaries Welfare Development Association Nandakumar, Zilla Panchayat member P N Munegowda, Taluk Panchayat President Venkatanarayanappa, members of the Sangha, inlcuding Ramesh, Shashikala, Devaraj and several others took part in the protest.
