Hyderabad: After a 16-day non-cooperation movement, Andhra Pradesh government employees in Telangana region on Saturday returned to work after the government accepted some of their demands.
Over 3,00,000 employees in Hyderabad and nine other districts resumed work but leaders of the Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) said they had only temporarily withdrawn the stir.
They threatened to go on strike again if the government went back on its assurances. The decision to call off the protest was taken on Friday night after talks between Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and JAC leaders.
The development came as a relief to the government as the strike had almost paralysed the administration in the region and the government was losing a revenue of Rs.80-100 crore daily.
The JAC, which also includes teachers, said it had taken the decision in the larger interest of students and people.
Though JAC's main demand was introduction of a bill in parliament for the formation of a separate Telangana state, the leaders agreed to withdraw the stir following assurance by the government to take a delegation of the leaders to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
JAC leader Swami Goud said the JAC would take up the agitation for a separate state in another form.
The government agreed to appoint a retired judge to undo what was described as the injustice done to Telangana in matters of employment and education.
It also assuraed the JAC it would stop deputation of non-Telangana employees to the region and repatriate non-Telangana employees to their regions.
The chief minister promised to pay the salaries despite the 16-day strike period.
