Sainiks demonstrate at IT department, demand jobs for locals

Mumbai, Feb 12 (UNI) Hundreds of Shiv Sena workers held a demonstration at the office of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax here today, demanding preference in jobs for the 'sons of the soil' in the department.

Later on a delegation led by Sena MLC Gajanand Kirtikar along with former minister of state for finance, Anandrao Adsul, former Sena MLC Vilas Avachad and Anil Desai, General Secretary of the Sthanya Lokadhikar Samiti met with the Chief Commissioner, Mala Ramakrishnan and submitted her a memorandum on their demand.

''Recently the Staff Selection Commission, which is the nodal recruitment agency of the Union government for the subordinate posts, has shortlisted 403 names for the Income Tax Assistant posts.

However, only 28 of them are Marathi speaking and rest of the 375 candidates are outsiders,'' Mr Desai told UNI.

Desai claimed that the Chief Commissioner has assured them that their demand would be looked into, and the entire selection process has been put up on hold till the matter is sorted out.

The Sena leader also said that when a similar problem was brought to the notice of the Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, he had not only ordered for a probe in the entire selection process but also announced an additional 1000 jobs exclusively for the Maharashtrians.

However, Income Tax Chief Commissioner Mala Ramakrishnan was not available for her comments.

UNI IAS SR PK HT1905