Mumbai (PTI): After Armed Forces personnel, Atomic and Space scientists are now upset with the "very low" pay structure recommended by the Pay Commission and rejected it outright and also sought intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The scientists and technologists said the salary scales recommended by the Sixth Central Pay Commission (SCPC) reflected its "appalling attitude" towards the scientific community not tenable with the growth of the country's high-tech departments. They have sought an appointment with Singh, who is also the Minister-in-charge of their departments, for help in rectifying the "anomalies."

"In any case, the recommendations are no where comparable with IT and IT-enabled sectors and we summarily reject the pay structure recommended by SCPC," President of Confederation of Atomic and Space Scientists and Technologists (COAST), Josheph Winston of Indira Gandhi Centre said in a release.

The COAST met on May 17 and reviewed the Commission's rrecommendatiaons at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and examined in detail the "anomalies" of the recommendations, he said.

"In the long run, such an apathetic attitude of SCPC would lead to total collapse of scientific and technological base in India along with a complete halt to the indigenous technology," COAST's Vice-President R Rama Varma, VSSC (Trivandrum) said.

Winston said the poor package recommended would not attract the younger scientists and lead to brain drain and remorse amongst those who continue with these organisations. Later, these scientists would try to leave these departmetns and join MNCs or private sectors, he said.