Protest by government staff holds up traffic

  Traffic was affected in the central business district areas in the city following protest rally by thousands of government employees on Friday.

Traffic had come to a halt on Palace Road, CID Junction, Race Course Road, Basaveswara Circle, Raj Bhavan Road   Mehkri Circle, Ballari Road and adjacent roads.

The protesters were demanding the government implement the Supreme Court order passed on February 9 this year, relating to reservation in promotions. They started their rally at Freedom Park. M Nagaraj, the president of Ahimsa (Kannada acronym for a forum of government employees belonging to minorities, backward classes and general categories), flagged off the rally.

Keshavamurthy, an employee from Arasikere, said that the state government should have provided only 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes and 3% to Scheduled Tribes in promotion. But, it has given 80% reservation for SC/STs in promotion.

"We are working for nearly 20 years without promotion. We are not against the reservation but the government should also think about minorities, backward classes and general categories," he said.