Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 24 January 2024
In a poignant display of frustration, ex-Civil Defence Volunteers from North and Middle Andaman District gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Mayabunder today, demanding re-employment after being disengaged for almost two years.
The genesis of their plight dates back to June 29, 2021, when the Deputy Commissioner of North and Middle Andaman District issued an Enrolment Notice inviting applications for a Walk-In-Interview to join as Civil Defence Volunteers for COVID Duty. The primary role assigned to these volunteers was to act as first responders in the event of disaster situations or hostile enemy attacks.
A total of 60 Civil Defence Volunteers were engaged under the jurisdictions of Assistant Commissioner (AC) Diglipur, AC Mayabunder, and AC Rangat (20 under each AC). Their initial engagement was for a period of three months, with no explicit mention of the overall employment duration in the Enrolment Notice. However, protests arose when these volunteers did not receive their salaries even after four months had elapsed after their initial engagement period of three months (i.e. in the Seventh Month of engagement).
Following the protests, the volunteers were granted a three-month extension for the period in which they had already worked without pay. Their ongoing demand for further extension has gone unheeded for almost two years. The CDVs allege that the absence of a specified duration in the original Enrolment Notice made them think that they will receive extensions indefinitely.
In stark contrast, Civil Defence Volunteers in South Andaman continue to serve without any disengagement.
The aggrieved ex-CDVs gathered outside the DC office today, accusing the administration of discrimination. They point out that their counterparts in South Andaman District have not faced disengagement, while they have been left in employment limbo for an extended period.
The protest is a culmination of mounting frustration among the ex-Civil Defence Volunteers who seek answers and fair treatment from the authorities.