Imphal: Parents and guardians of Village Defense Force (VDF) on Monday threatened to launch intensified forms of protests while pressing the Manipur government to address the demands of the VDF personnel.
VDF personnel are demanding a hike in the salary of VDF personnel, allotting 13 months honorarium, regularization of their services by framing rules and regulation, formation of a separate battalion for VDF personnel, implementing a pension system, among others.
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Continuing the protest, members of the Imphal East District VDF Guardians Association staged the protest at Green Community Hall, Top Khongnangkhong in Imphal East district. Members taking part in the protest insisted that the state government should fulfill the demands of the VDF.
They have been pressing the state government to fulfill their demands for the last 13 years, president of the Imphal East District VDF Guardians Association, Bina Leima asserted. She alleged that the monthly salaries paid to the VDF are not suited with time as well as the nature of duty. The state government should revise salaries to suit the time.
She also said that even as the VDF personnel are utilized in the duty not less than those performed by the police personnel, they were not paid properly. She expressed strong dissatisfaction when the state government remained deaf mute instead of addressing the long pending demands of the VDF.
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The VDFs have submitted several memoranda to the government regarding their long pending demands and the state government had also, on many occasions, assured to fulfill their demands. But, no action to address the demand taken up till date, she alleged.
If the state government remains doing nothing to address the demands at the earliest, the parents and guardians will be compelled to take up intense forms of protest, she threatened.
NNN