Health inspectors threaten stir on January 3

Chennai:

More than 1,350 health inspectors in the state have threatened to go on strike from January 3 next year over alleged discrimination in promotion, according to Public Health Department Official’s Association.

The general secretary of the association J Lakshmy Narayanan and state secretary M Senthil Kumar said that  health inspectors from across the state on Monday staged a hunger stir over alleged discrimination in promotion and threatened to intensify the stir if their demands are not met.

The officials said that 400 leprosy inspectors were transferred to directorate of public health from directorate of medical services in 1990 as health inspectors.

But these inspectors who joined the service in 1979-80 were denied promotion for the last 32 years despite a High Court order passing a favourable verdict on July 23, 2010.

The officials say they are protesting as the government, which has appealed to the Supreme Court in January 2011 against the High court order, is now allegedly trying to fill the 2,000 vacancies without waiting for the apex court order.

The Supreme Court has finished the hearing on August 2012 and the verdict is reserved but the officials are going ahead by giving promotions to those who are junior to us and ignoring us, alleged an association member.