WB government hints at pay cut for employees absent during bandh

Determined to maintain normal life during tomorrow's 24-hour statewide bandh (strike) called by Left opposition SUCI, the West Bengal government today hinted at salary cut of employees for absence from duty in keeping with a Calcutta High Court directive, while making elaborate arrangements to keep law and order under control.

SUCI has called the bandh mainly to protest recurring oil price hike as well as various "anti-people policies" of both the ruling left front in the state as well as the UPA government at the centre.

"Steps would be taken as per the High Court directive,'' home secretary Amit Kiran Deb said to a query whether the government would deduct the salaries of its employees if they remained absent during the bandh. To another question that salary deduction had not been done on previous bandhs, the home secretary said, "Earlier, there was no such court order (for deduction of salaries).''

State's DGP Shyamal Dutta said an additional 6,500 policemen would be deployed across the state, of which 700 would be kept in reserve.

A high-level meeting, attended by chief secretary Ashok Gupta, home secretary Deb, IGP (law and order) C Mukherjee, senior police officials, transport secretary and senior railway officials, was held at the secretariat to chalk out measures to keep life normal during the bandh tomorrow.

The DGP said police had been asked to arrest any person obstructing willing employees from joining duty and even assured ''they (employees) can dial 100 so that police can arrive at the spot and escort them to their places of work.''

The DGP further said both eastern and south-eastern railways had been asked to keep ready tower wagons at 32 places, including eight in Sealdah division, nine in Howrah division, two in Asansol division, seven in Kharagpur division and seven in Adra division to ensure that there was no forcible stoppage of trains by bandh supporters.

He said police would coordinate with the railway authorities to ensure timely arrival and departure of trains.

Apart from dgp control, control rooms would be operative in doltala in north 24-parganas, alipore in south 24-parganas, besides in howrah, hooghly, bardhaman and east midnapore district headquarters.

Dutta said superintendents of police had been specifically asked to attend the control rooms in the district headquarters, while senior police officials instructed to be on patrol duty on roads.

Besides, special vigil would be maintained on vip road leading to the airport and at the it complex in salt lake.

Asked if the measures would be followed up in the two bandhs, called on november 22 by the naxalite outfit cpi(ml-liberation) and the main opposition trinamool congress-sponsored one on december three on same issues, the dgp said ''i am briefing you steps to counter tomorrow's bandh..I can't say about other bandhs''.

Earlier, the home secretary said all district magistrates and superintendents of police had been asked to ensure normalcy in their districts during the bandh.

In response to a pil, the calcutta high court has directed the state government to ensure normalcy during the bandhs and to deduct salaries from its employees if they remained absent on those days.