Morung Express News
Kohima | April 14
Even as the Nagaland Inservice Doctors Association (NIDA) said that they would go ahead with the mass casual leave protest from April 18 to 20, the Nagaland State Government cautioned NIDA members that those who do so would have their salary deducted and would also be liable to disciplinary action.
The NIDA’s mass casual leave has been called as protest against the State Government’s failure to address the demand for increasing the superannuation age of doctors from 60 to 62 years. The NIDA, at a press conference in Kohima today, however informed that emergency services will remain functional during the 3 days mass casual leave.
Meanwhile, an order from the Nagaland Chief Secretary drew attention to Rule 25 of the Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules 1968 that prohibits government servants from participating in any form of strike, including mass casual leave or in any way abet any form of strike.
“There is no statutory provision empowering the employees to go on strike. The Supreme Court has also in several judgments agreed that going on strike is a grave misconduct under the Conduct Rules and should be dealt with, in accordance with the law,” the government said.
It further pointed to the fact that maintenance of public health and sanitation including hospitals and dispensaries are essential services. “The proposed mass casual leave is likely to cause severe disruption in medical care/ public health services and is, therefore, liable to endanger the lives, health and security of the people of the State,” the government observed.
Meanwhile, it said that as per the Fundamental Rule 17(1), an officer who is absent from duty without any authority shall not be entitled to any pay and allowances during the period of such absence.
In light of this, the Nagaland Government has decided that no one shall be granted casual leave for the aforementioned period—April 18 to 20. It further directed that Principal Director, Health & Family Welfare not approve casual leave of any officers during the period, and if already granted, the approval shall be recalled/revoked.
It further cautioned that any resort to illegal means of agitation shall be viewed seriously and besides deduction of salary on the principle of ‘no work, no pay,’ participants shall also be liable to disciplinary action for grave violation of Conduct Rules. In addition, the participants in the strike/agitation would also be liable for appropriate action under provisions of the law, the government said.
The government informed that “extensive deliberations have been held with NIDA and other stakeholders.” It said that matter has been considered by the government at the highest level, and on account of the fact that there was lack of consensus on either of the alternative options amongst NIDA and other stakeholders, further deliberations have been directed to be held. It added that the committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary is holding the deliberations.
NIDA officials, on the other hand, said that according to the State Government “the Naga Students' Federation (NSF), other organization like Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Employees' Association (CANSSEA) and the Nagaland Medical Students' Association (NMSA) are opposed to the demand of NIDA."
The NIDA said that in going ahead with the mass casual leave and in case of any untoward eventualities, the government will have to bear the responsibility or can shift the blame to those it claims to be opposing NIDA's demands.
It said that the NIDA has been consistently maintaining that the Prime Minister's announcement was specific for medical doctors and for a specific reason to address the acute shortage of doctors and to retain the services of experienced doctors for a longer period. Hence other service organisations cannot demand the same merely by citing precedence, it added. The association said that, in fact, in the other states where it has been implemented, no such claim has been made by other service associations.
"To the NSF we have raised the question when it has been implemented in the Naga homelands of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur without opposition from NSF, when it comes to the state of Nagaland why this double standard?" it said.
The NIDA said it would go ahead with a cease work protest for an indefinite period after the 3 days mass casual leave if no assurance is given by the government.
