Outsourcing staff stage protest at Simhachalam
The Hindu
Temple Executive Officer promises to pay salary arrears within 10 days
Outsourcing staff of Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, located atop Simhachalam hill, staged a protest on Wednesday alleging that the temple authorities terminated them from service without notice. They alleged that they were also not paid salaries for the past three months. Devasthanam Executive Officer M.V. Suryakala said that the temple administration was ready to release the bills, if the contract agency, submitted the bills. In the past also, the contractor had not submitted the bills for three months. The problem was with the contract agency and has nothing to do with the temple authorities, she said.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.