IRTSA to stage Candle light vigil demo to press demands

Chennai, Feb 27 (UNI) The Indian Railways Technical Supervisors' Association (IRTSA) will stage a Candle light vigil demonstration in front of the Chennai Central station at midnight tonight, demanding allocation of more funds for implementation of the sixth pay commission recommendations and other demands.

IRTSA National President M Shanmugham told reporters here today that about 500 executive committee members of the association would participate in the peaceful and silent demonstration to be held for about an hour.

Hailing various aspects of the Railway budget presented by Mr Lalu Prasad, he said the allocation of mere Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 4000 crore for serving employees and Rs 1000 crore for pensioners) for implementing the sixth pay commission recommendations was not sufficient.

''With this amount each employee will not get even Rs 2,000 as hike per month for the next ten years (till the next pay commission is set up,'' he added.

Claiming that the Railways had earned Rs 25,000 crore as profit due to the hard work put in by its 13.5 lakh employees, including ten lakh technocrats, the Association demanded that the entire Rs 25,000 crore profit should be earmarked for implementing the pay commission recommendations.

The peaceful Candle light vigil protest was also to urge Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, to announce in his Budget, deferring payment of dividend by the Railway Ministry to the Central Government to meet the infrastructure requirements of Railways, and increase budgetary allocation for railways from Rs 7,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore.

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