Veterinary doctors to boycott duties from tomorrow

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083151550300.htm

Allege neglect of their long-pending demands by government

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Veterinary doctors are demanding equal pay along with civil assistant surgeons
No difference in the services of veterinary and medical doctors: Central pay panel

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ANANTAPUR: Veterinary doctors under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh Veterinary Assistant Surgeons’ Service Association have decided to boycott duties from September 1 protesting the continued neglect of their long-pending demands by the State Government. Protest in different forms like dharnas, relay fasts have failed to move the government so far, the association leaders said.
Talking to newspersons here on Saturday, State general secretary of the association Ramachandra Reddy, district president A.V. Rathna Kumar, district general secretary M.V. Subbarayudu and others said that veterinary doctors working in the State had been demanding equal pay along with civil assistant surgeons for long and staged a series of protests from August 1 to 25 in support of their demands.
Contention Even the Fifth Central Pay Commission had recommended that the veterinary doctors be paid salaries on par with general duty medical doctors.
The Central Government, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal State Government are already implementing the recommendation, they mentioned.
The Central Pay Commission had also observed that there was no difference in the services of veterinary doctors and medical doctors and the former were also pursuing education on the lines of the latter and enrolling them as members in the Veterinary Council of India on the lines of Medical Council of India registration.
Besides, they are also acting as witnesses in courts in matters of veterinary medicine as their medical counterparts.
In tune with the demands of the veterinary doctors, the 1993 Pay Revision Commission had given better pay scale to veterinary doctors than agriculture officials and engineering officials.
Similarly, the veterinary doctors were also given better pay scale in the 1999 PRC.
Demand overlooked However, in the 2005 PRC, the demand for pay scale on par with the medical doctors was overlooked.
Several representations were given to the Rangachari Commission (pay anomalies) and to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy by the association, but to no avail.
Poor pay scales to the veterinary doctors is keeping the veterinary graduates away from government service and as a result 550 out of 2,023 posts in the State are vacant.
The association leaders criticised the government neglect of veterinary doctors, though they had been serving the rural people and helping the growth of rural economy.