Odisha Fire Services Employees Withdraw Cease-Work Agitation

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha fire services employees, who were on an indefinite strike since Monday, withdrew their agitation following the state government’s assurance to consider their demands.

“Our meeting with the state government was successful this evening. The state-wide agitation has been withdrawn after officials of the home department assured us that our demands will be looked into,” fire officer, Akshay Kumar Pradhan said.

Six agitating fire officials were suspended on Wednesday for alleged indiscipline and dereliction of duty.

Fire personnel across the state have been on a cease-work strike since Monday, seeking fulfillment of their six-point charter of demands including salary and pension at par with the Odisha police, filling up of vacancies and removal of contractual appointment.

According to reports, the Leading Fireman and a fire personnel of the Chitrada fire station in Mayurbhanj district have been suspended on charges of gross dereliction, negligence in duty, indiscipline and unauthorised withdrawal from duty.

The firemen were suspended for not responding to emergency calls. No one from the fire department turned up on September 24 when a small child fell into a well at Dakoi village under Morda block in Mayurbhanj district on Monday. This resulted in the child’s death due to drowning.

Besides, two fire personnel each of Daspalla (Nayagarh district) and Baliapal (Balasore district) fire stations have been placed under suspension.

In Balasore, fire-fighters didn’t respond to a fire mishap in which eight houses were gutted on Monday.

The same day, five houses were reduced to ashes at Srirampur in Nayagarh district. Distress calls to the local fire station at Daspalla went unanswered.

A delegation of the striking personnel had met the Director General Fire Services, B. K. Sharma, who assured to take up their demands with the state government. However, they refused to budge from the stand, demanding immediate fulfillment of their demands.