RIMS non-teaching staff launch stir
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 30 2019: Pressing for fulfilment of a 10-point charter of demands, the Non-Teaching Employees Welfare Association (NTEWA), RIMS has launched agitation from today.

Meanwhile, RIMS Deputy Director Kaikam Doungel has clarified about the delay in recruitment of Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) .

Speaking to media persons at the office RIMS, Director Prof A Santa this afternoon where the Director himself was also present, Kaikam Doungel said that due advertisement for recruitment of 134 MTS at RIMS was published on January 16, 2016.Out of the 134 posts, four were reserved for persons with disabilities and recruitment to the four posts was done in May 2016 through a special recruitment drive in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court.

However, a litigation was filed at the High Court of Manipur on the ground that no written test was conducted for recruitment of the four reserved post as per an office memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Kaikam Doungel said.

In the meantime, another Professor was appointed as RIMS Director in-charge on April 27, 2016 .

A notice was issued on December 31, 2016 informing that aptitude/skill test would be conducted on January 27, 2017 for recruitment of the MTS.

However, model code of conduct came into force on January 9, 2017 in connection with the State Assembly election.

Even as the model code of conduct was still in force, the then Director retired on February 28, 2017 on superannuation, said the Deputy Director.

He said that RIMS had no Director from March 1 to April 3 of 2017 .

One IAS officer was assigned as Director in-charge of RIMS from April 4 to July 31 of the same year.

The recruitment process of MTS was delayed on account of absence of a regular Director and enforcement of election model code of conduct, Kaikam Doungel said.

Nonetheless, since Prof A Santa became RIMS Director on August 17, 2017, the process for MTS recruitment was resumed.

Subsequently, a committee headed by the Medical Superintendent was also constituted.

By issuing an addendum on March 9 this year, all the applicants for MTS who were in possession of admit cards were given an opportunity to choose their options for skill/ aptitude test.

But the process of submission of option forms had to be suspended as the model code of conduct came into force again in connection with the 17th Lok Sabha election.

The model code of conduct was lifted on May 25 but the recruitment process has been put on hold after 71 people filed a writ petition at the High Court of Manipur, Kaikam said.

Director Prof A Santa categorically stated that no one would be recruited at RIMS through the back door.

There is an instruction from the Department of Personnel and Training that no recruitment should be done without written test.

As such, the demand of contract staff to make recruitments without written test is unacceptable, Prof Santa said.

To a query, he said that around 18,000 people applied for the 134 MTS posts.

Saying that there are 400 contract staff at RIMS, the Director maintained that NTEWA's protest agitation does not affect RIMS in any manner.

Salaries of contract staff have been doubled and RIMS authority has been working to table their other demands before the institute's board of governors, he added.

On the other hand, NTEWA members staged a protest demonstration in front of RIMS Jubilee Hall today.

Speaking to media persons by the sidelines of the protest demonstration, NTEWA general secretary Th Babu said that they have launched peaceful modes of agitation on their 10-point charter of demands.

He maintained that their agitation would go on until the Director is removed or transferred to another place.

Nonetheless, Babu said that they would reconsider the same demand in case the Director gives a written assurance to fulfil the charter of demands.

Notably, NTEWA has been demanding expedition of recruitment of MTS, increment of contract employees' remuneration to the scale of 7th Pay, hiking of Children Education Allowance to the scale of 7th Pay arid implementation of die-in-harness scheme.

Saying that they are aware about the litigation and the election model code of conduct, Babu lamented that there is no sign of fulfilling their demands till date even though the RIMS authority gave assurance in February this year to fulfil the demands.

A few days back, NTEWA sought an appointment with the Director but no appointment was granted.

"On the contrary, warning notes were sent to some staff including myself, Babu said.

He said that there are reports of the Director threatening staff posted at the administrative block one by one separately.

If no positive response is received in the next few days, intense modes of agitation would be launched, he added.

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