Village & Ward Secretariat Employees’ Protest Disrupts Traffic at Busy Vizag Junction

The employees intensified their ongoing agitation, demanding that the State government take immediate action on their long-pending service-related issues.

Why Are the Employees Protesting?

The protesters are administrative and welfare staff working in Village and Ward Secretariats across the North Andhra region. They are associated with the Swarna Gramam Swarna Ward (SGSW) initiative.

For the past few days, the employees had been staging their protest near the Gandhi statue opposite the GVMC building. On Sunday evening, they moved their demonstration to the RTC Complex Junction, one of the city's important traffic points.

Their main concern is the delay in resolving issues related to pay, increments, probation, regularisation and other service benefits.

Employees Raise Slogans Over Working Conditions

During the demonstration, employees raised slogans including:

• “Udyogam Chestham – Oodigam Cheyyam”

The slogan, meaning “We will do our jobs, but we will not work like servants,” reflected their dissatisfaction with what they described as unreasonable working conditions and unresolved grievances.

The protesters also used empty plastic water bottles as part of their demonstration to draw attention to their demands.

Officials Reach the Spot

As the protest continued, revenue and police officials reached the location and held discussions with the employees.

ACP Lakshmana Murthy was also present as police personnel worked to manage the situation and control the increasing traffic.

Officials reportedly assured the protesters that their demands would be taken up with the State government and brought to the attention of the concerned authorities.

However, the employees maintained that simply forwarding their demands was not enough.

They insisted that the government should take concrete and immediate steps to resolve their long-standing concerns.

Traffic Comes to a Standstill

The protest had a major impact on traffic movement around the RTC Complex area.

As the agitation continued into the night, vehicles began piling up on roads leading to and from the junction. A large number of police personnel were deployed to regulate traffic and ease congestion.

For commuters travelling through the RTC Complex area, the protest resulted in delays and difficult traffic conditions.

What Are Their Major Demands?

The employees have raised several demands concerning their employment and service conditions.

Their major demands include:

Two notional increments to be sanctioned immediately. Payment of nine months of arrears resulting from the delay in completion of probation. Granting one annual increment for the period affected by the probation delay. Fixing the minimum basic pay at ₹30,000 per month without any reduction. Resolution of issues related to probation and regularisation. Appropriate service benefits for the employees. Protest to Continue

The employees have made it clear that their agitation will continue until the government takes concrete measures to address their demands.

While officials have assured them that their concerns will be communicated to the government, the protesters are seeking actual decisions and action rather than assurances.

What Happens Next?

The continuation of the protest could have further implications for traffic movement in parts of Visakhapatnam if demonstrations are held at major junctions.

For commuters, the immediate concern remains traffic congestion, while the employees are waiting for the government to respond to their long-standing service demands.