Hyderabad: Commotion prevailed at RTC crossroads on Tuesday afternoon when VRA’s (Village Revenue Assistants) attempted to take out a rally demanding the government adhere to their demands.
Hundreds of VRA’s gathered at the RTC crossroads and attempted to proceed towards the Telangana Secretariat when the police prevented them.
The VRA’s came towards the junction and tried to block the road. The police including Central Zone DCP M Rajesh Chandra and other police officers prevented them from blocking the traffic.
The police took into preventive custody the agitators and shifted them into police vehicles. At one point, a mild lathi charge was done to disperse the protestors from the spot.
The VRAs demanded the government keep its promise to review the pay scale of their members.
They argued that the government should take a decision on the matter during the current session. The VRAs staged protests for weeks in August – September demanding higher pay and job security. Some were forced to take the step of ending their lives due to financial problems.
The VRAs have been protesting continually for two years to demand the implementation of a new pay scale as listed in the New Revenue Act introduced by the state government in 2020. Currently, a VRA earns Rs 10,500 which they argue isn’t enough to fulfil their day-to-day needs. If the new pay scale is implemented a VRA is likely to earn Rs 25,000 which is a significant improvement.
After thousands of VRA protested in the city on September 13, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao assured that their demands would be solved by September 20. Though a meeting was held between the VRA Joint Action Committee (JAC) and chief secretary Somesh Kumar, the issues raised by VRAs are yet to be resolved.
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