Lokayukta demand: Sit-in-protest at Secretariat to span three days

Dimapur, Nov. 13 (EMN): The ‘public co-ordination committee’ (PCC) spearheading the sit-in-protest at New Secretariat Junction in Kohim – to implement the Lokayukta in Nagaland – has announced that the stir will last three consecutive days, starting November 15 next.
A press release from the committee on Monday informed that the protest will comprise members of Acaut, Public Service Aspirants of Nagaland, Nagaland Tribes Council, ‘Technical aspirant associations’, student unions and various other public organisations. The protests will begin at 10 am each day, it informed.
It identified four core demands of the stir: establish Lokayukta at the earliest ‘in toto’; revoke the government’s decision to scrap class III posts from the purview of NPSC; declare marks and answer keys in all stages of NPSC exams as well as the names of those in the waiting list; and immediately terminate all backdoor appointments made after June 6, 2016 and revoke the subsequent October 26 office memo.
“The government of Nagaland have (sic) time and again paid no heed to the common people’s voice. Time and again they have indulged in activities which we can be termed as repugnant. It is the norm of the day the government indulging in anti- people activities. Their amateur publicity garnering stunts have made them a laughing stock,” it stated.
The statement pointed out that several states in the country have already established Lokayukta. “Lok Ayukta if set up will check the menace of corruption…why is the government of the day coming up with excuses not to set up Lok Ayukta ? Are they afraid to come clean?” it asked.
It also questioned the state government’s logic behind its decision to remove the class III posts from the NPSC purview when ‘the number of civil service aspirants are increasing every year’ in the state. “We all know departmental exams are a huge farce. This will open the floodgates of backdoor appointments. So this means 15,000 + candidates, their numbers will increase in the coming years, will slog it out for some few posts?
“The PCC would like to request every right thinking citizens , people who are tired of anti-people policies of the state government to be there at New Secretariat Junction on the 15th, 16th and 17th November. Be there to show your resentment, make your voice to be heard. We are taken for fools and mocked day in and day out. Let us make a sea of people stand in front of the seat of power and show that we can’t take anymore mockery from their side,” the statement read.