Karnataka - Bangalore   

Policy sought on jobs to local people

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Up in arms: Members of the Karnataka Yuva Vakilara Sangha staging a protest near Mahatma Gandhi statue in protest against the railway recruitment process, in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: Protests were taken out in various parts of the State against the short shrift given to Kannadigas in railway recruitment. Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and those of other organisations took out processions and detained trains at several places. The protesters alleged that people from outside Karnataka were being preferred to those from the State.

The coordination committee of Kannada organisations in Central Government offices in Karnataka has demanded that the Centre evolve a national policy on providing and ensuring employment to local people, on priority.

President M. Chandrashekhar, convener Samiullah Khan and other office-bearers of the committee told presspersons here on Monday that the demand for a national policy was not new as the local people, particularly Kannadigas, had been suffering for decades.

Even the former President R. Venkatraman had emphasised the need to evolve such a policy, they claimed.

The issue had become relevant in the light of the alleged attempt to deprive “Group D” jobs to the local people in the ongoing Railway recruitment in Bangalore.

The Railways had started the process without advertising it in the local newspapers, they alleged.

This attitude went against the basic tenets of federal structure, they charged.

It was alleged that the Railways had been recruiting non-Kannadigas, particularly people from Bihar. Denial of jobs to the local people in the Accountant-General’s office had forced the Union Government to take corrective steps in the past.

Vested interests in the Railways had been violating the fundamental rights of Kannadigas, they charged.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur should immediately intervene to protect the interests of Kannadigas by urging the Centre to cancel the recruitment, they said.

The leaders also requested the MPs from the State to take up the issue at all levels.

Hubli Staff Correspondent writes:

Protests by various organisations against what they termed as injustice to Kannadigas in Railway recruitment continued on Monday.

While members of the Yuva Samata Sena and few other organisations in Hubli staged a dharna, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists staged a rail roko at Haveri railway station.

The protesters charged the Railway authorities with helping candidates from other States, especially Bihar.

In Hubli, the dharna was staged in front of the office of the General Manager of South Western Railway. Earlier, the protesters took out a march from the Ambedkar’s statue to the General Manager’s office.

At Haveri, KRV activists stopped the Chikjajur-Hubli Passenger train for a few minutes.

Gulbarga Staff Correspondent reports:

Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike disrupted the movement of trains on the Chennai-Mumbai section at Gulbarga Railway Station for more than 15 minutes on Monday.

They were protesting the recruitment of persons from Bihar for Group D posts in the Railways in Karnataka.

The members wanted all 4,700 Group D posts to be reserved for Kannadigas.

The police who were waiting at the main gates of the station were taken by surprise as the members of the vedike sneaked into the railway platform.

Bijapur Staff Correspondent reports:

Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike on Monday staged a rail roko to protest against the Railway recruitment.

Activists of KRV gathered at the Bijapur Railway Station and stopped the Bijapur-Hyderabad train for some time.

They shouted slogans against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

Raichur Staff Correspondent reports:

Activists of the district unit of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike took out a protest over the recruitment issue.

About 150 activists went in a procession from the Karnataka Sangha to the railway station around noon.

They detained the Mumbai-Trivandrum Lokmanya Tilak Express train for nearly for 20 minutes.

A protest was also staged in Chitradurga over the recruitment issue.

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