BSTDC employees call off strike ahead of Prakash Utsav, Kalchakra Puja
Patna,(BiharTimes): The employees of Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation called off their strike on Wednesday after the state government accepted their main demand of equal pay for equal work and promised to look into the other demands within a month.
The other demands are: regularisation of services of contract workers, revision of salaries, freeze on recruitment of employees from outside and an end to privatisation of hotels.
According to Ajay Kumar, spokesperson of the employees’ association the employees are calling off the strike for the time being, as the government has acceded to one of their major demands, that is, equal pay for equal work. The management has assured that all demands would be fulfilled within a month, after both Prakash Utsav and Kalchakra puja are concluded in Patna and Bodh Gaya respectively.
It was called off after Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation managing director Uma Shankar Prasad held a meeting with the leaders of the striking employees.
The strike, which began on December 15, has caused the Corporation a loss of around Rs 70 lakh as various services were completely paralysed across the state.
The employees accepted the management's assurance, claiming they didnot want to create problems for the tourism department ahead of Prakash Utsav and Kalchakra puja that are expected to attract a million tourists to Bihar.
Estimates say that five lakh Sikh pilgrims are expected to take part in Prakash Utsav on the occasion of the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Govind Singh. Prakash Utsav is to be held between December 30 and January 8
Kalchakra Puja in Bodh Gaya is likely to attract over four lakh Buddhists from across the world. The Dalai Lama is also expected to attend the annual event. It will be held from January 3 to 14.
