AASU demands 100% quota for locals in Group C, D posts

AASU demands 100% quota for locals in Group C, D posts

Lack of definition of ‘indigenous people of Assam’ resented

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 20: The Centre today assured the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) of considering its demand for constitutional and political safeguard to the indigenous people of the State. The AASU leaders resented the State Government’s failure to define “indigenous people of Assam” at the meeting. The Assam Government team that took part at the meeting, however, said that the definition would be finalized soon.

Tripartite talks involving leaders of the students’ union and top-level officials of the Centre and the State Government were held in Guwahati today.

After the three-hour-long meeting, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said: “We raised the demand for 100 per cent reservation of all Group C and D posts in all boards and Central and semi-central agencies that have offices in the State for indigenous candidates. There should be reservation for indigenous people of the State. We, however, don’t want to disturb the existing SC and ST reservation pattern in the State. We want reservation for local candidates only in places where there are no reservation for ST and ST candidates.”

The AASU leader said: “We have raised the demand for 100 per cent reservation of jobs for indigenous candidates in the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), and the demand has received a response from the Central team. The Central team assured us that both the BCPL and the Bogibeel Bridge would be completed by 2012.”

The AASU leader further said that they had raised the demand for preservation of all xatras and other historical monuments of the State. “All encroachers of xatra lands should be evicted soon, and this demand got a positive response from the Central team,” he said, and added: “We have raised the demand for revival of Ashok Paper Mill, and the State Cabinet will take a decision in this regard within two months. We also raised the demand for double railway tracks in the State, and the Central team assured us of taking up the matter with the Railway Ministry.”

On the demand for according national problem status to floods and erosion in the State, Bhattacharya said: “We have raised the matter yet again. The Central team assured us that they would take up the matter with the Ministry of Water Resources. They also gave an assurance on our demand for visit to erosion-affected areas of the State by a Central team. They also agreed to take up the release of water by Bhutan from its Kurichu dam without any prior information.”

According to the AASU leader, they also submitted the expert committee report on mega dams to the Central team.

While the students’ body was represented by its president Sankar Prasad Rai, general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi, advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya and Professor Basanta Deka, the Central team was headed by Joint Commissioner of Home Affairs Navin Verma and the State Government by Home Commissioner Jishnu Baruah.

The Sentinel