Nagaland Planning Machinery Service Association emergency meeting today

Dimapur, July 16 (EMN): Following a request from the chief secretary to call off its agitation, the Nagaland Planning Machinery Service Association (NPMSA) has called for an emergency meeting to decide whether it should suspend its agitation.

According to a press release from the association on Tuesday, the chief secretary had told its office bearers that “the matter will be taken up at the earliest in the next cabinet meeting”; prompting its decision to call for an emergency meeting.

“The grievances of the association have been taken into account and all steps will be taken to ensure that the service interests of the members are not put to a disadvantageous position,” the association assured.

On June 29, it stated, the cabinet had approved the draft Service Rules of the State Planning Machinery, 2019 incorporating OSD (Skill Development) in Schedule I &II. “The decision to approve the service rules was put up to the cabinet by the stop gap development commissioner without the knowledge of the stakeholders and furthermore, without taking into view the interpretation of the latest Court judgement provided by the Law and Justice department.

“It may be wondered why a decision on such a sensitive and contentious matter was taken in haste. To put things in perspective, the process for taking the decision was completed in a few days for a case that has been disputed for last seven to eight years,” read the statement.

Aggrieved by the cabinet’s decision, it stated, the association had written a representation to the government asking for removal of OSD (Skill Development) from Schedule I & II of the State Planning Machinery service rules by July 12, with the threat that failure to do so would force the NPMSA members to agitate.

“Since there was no response from the state government to redress the grievances of the association, the NPMSA started pen down strike for 3 (three) days w.e.f July 16, 2019. To set the record straight, at present, there are senior officers in the rank of joint development commissioner (next to HoD) and assistant development commissioner (next incumbent HoD) hailing from eastern Nagaland in the State Planning Machinery.

“Besides, there are planning officers and assistant planning officers in the department who were appointed through NPSC as per the existing backward reservation quota. Further, these officers are also very much a part of the agitation,” it stated.