AGARTALA, August 27 (TIWN): The Nationalist and Left Democratic Teachers and Employees Federation today blockaded the state secretariat for two hours starting 1:15 pm demanding higher perks and benefits for state government employees, pensioners and PSU workers.

Supporters of the Federation organized a blockade around the civil secretariat this afternoon according to a pre-scheduled agenda seeking government intervention to mitigate alleged deprivation to state government employees in pay scale, Dearness Allowance (DA), grade pay, pension benefits etc.

Asked about the agitation later this evening, TGEF general secretary Samar Roy said that the ‘Mahakaran Oborodh’ was staged as a part of the greater agitation against the state government’s alleged deprivation to the employees and pensioners. “We have stated our demands earlier to the government. Today’s stir was a part of the bigger agitation we are preparing for unless the authorities took proper steps to redress the issues”, Roy said.

“The agitation was organized with the demands of central pay scale for Tripura, equivalent dearness allowance at par with central government employees. We have demanded to cover all pensioners who went on superannuation since January 01, 2008 under the New Pension Policy”, he added.

A total of 27 government employees and teachers’ organizations today participated in the agitation. A delegation of the Tripura Government Employees Federation (TGEF) earlier held agitation at Jantar Mantar, India Gate, Parliament Bhawan and Red Fort in New Delhi on similar demands from February 09 to 13 this year.