Lack of employees, tribal pupils forced to cook in hostels in AP's Srikakulam district

SRIKAKULAM: The students of several tribal welfare hostels were forced to work as kitchen servants in their hostels. Reason: lack of lower grade servants (LGS) under Seethampeta integrated tribal development agency (ITDA) limits in Srikakulam district.

ITDA officials terminated the lower grade servants after few LGS went to National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) seeking their pending salaries for the past four years. However, ITDA officials did not recruit the new LGS so far. This in turn led to students of tribal welfare hostels in Tekkali, MG Puram under Kanchili, Jayapuram under Nandigam and Baidulapuram under Pathapatnam mandals to prepare food in the hostel. They have been preparing tiffin especially puri and idli in the kitchen on their own. At least 10 students are working in the kitchen per day.  A few students shot the videos of them cooking and posted it on various social media platforms. The viral videos have led to tension between the parents and tribal organisations.

Staff left in the lurch

Integrated tribal development agency (ITDA), Seethampeta has 59 tribal welfare residential schools, including 47 Ashram schools, 10Gurukulams and 2 mini gurukulams to cater the educational and residential needs of nearly 15,000 poor tribal students. At least 103 lower grade servants (LGS) as cooks and kitchen servants joined voluntarily in the tribal welfare hostels beside the regular employees 15 years ago. They believed that the government would consider their service and promote them as outsourcing employees. Therefore, they were rendering the service in tribal welfare hostels voluntarily. ITDA officials extended their financial support to the LGS by paying Rs 5,000 per month from Other Grant in Aid (OGIA) funds. However, the ITDA officials have stopped the financial support in the name of lack of OGIA funds from the past four years.

In the meanwhile, at least 29 LGS out of 103 approached National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) demanding justice for their 15 years of service and to clear their pending salaries for the past four years. NCST issued notices to district collector and ITDA Project Officer to submit detailed report on the petitioners’ complaints. According to the ITDA official’s report filed to the NCST, the heads of institutions made some local arrangements by appointing local people due to shortfall of the lower grade servants in the hostels. They joined as LGS voluntarily without financial assistance. Therefore, the said petitioners rendered their service voluntarily, with no connection to the tribal welfare department as well as government. Later, ITDA officials directed the heads of institutions to terminate the LGS who approached NCST for their pending salaries. Therefore, the institutions heads have removed as many as 29 LGS from their duties few days ago.

Meanwhile, those terminated have been left in the lurch. Speaking to TNIE, Janni Dalayya of Baidulapuram tribal welfare hostel, Pathapatnam said, “I joined as a lower grade servant in tribal welfare hostel 15 years ago. ITDA officials paid Rs 5,000 per month as financial assistance. However, they have stopped the aid from the past four years. Therefore, we have approached NCST for justice. Later, ITDA officials terminated us without any prior information. Is it possible for us to lead our families if the government provides only food and accommodation without paying any salary?”

Speaking to TNIE, deputy director tribal welfare department, Nagesh said, “They have joined as LGS voluntarily without expecting any financial assistance from ITDA 15 years ago. They were not appointed under any regular/contract/outsourcing basis. We have been providing food and shelter in the hostels for their service. Based on their request for financial support, we have paid Rs 5,000 per month from OGIA funds. We do not have the funds from the past four years.”