Allegations of irregular appointments have sparked outrage within the All Arunachal Pradesh Public Health Engineering & Water Supply Department Workers Union (AAPPHE &WSDWU).
The union has accused the department of making 17 irregular appointments of regularized work-charged (WC) employees, primarily from Keyi Panyor district.
Members of the AAPPHE&WSDWU gathered at the PHE&WS office on Thursday to voice their concerns directly to the authorities.
Tadar Dawa, president of AAPPHE & WSDWU, addressed the assembled laborers, highlighting the plight of longstanding PHE&WS workers from Keyi Panyor allegedly sidelined due to these unauthorized appointments.
Dawa emphasized that numerous veteran casual laborers, some with over two decades of service, were overlooked in favor of recently appointed WC employees, some of whom were transferred to Keyi Panyor from other districts.
He alleged that these actions were politically motivated, claiming that even individuals such as anganwadi workers and panchayat leaders benefited from these irregular appointments.
Expressing their dissatisfaction, Dawa declared that unless their demands are met, all PHE&WS department workers statewide would cease water supply operations from May 13.
Their demands include the annulment of illegal appointments and subsequent arrests, urging the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) to conduct an immediate inquiry.
Adding to the dissent, Takam Tanik, president of the All Arunachal Pradesh Workers’ Union’s Keyi Panyor district unit, warned of further protests. Tanik cautioned that if the appointment orders of the illegitimate workers are not revoked promptly, workers in Keyi Panyor would stage a dharna and disrupt water supply.
He called upon student unions and youth groups to support their cause, safeguarding the district’s integrity from corruption.In a bid to escalate their stance, the AAPPHE & WSDWU announced plans to initiate a statewide dharna commencing May 13, should the state government fail to address their grievances regarding the contentious appointments.