Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The bench of Justice Kardak Ete ordered the BTC authorities to verify as to whether the petitioners were engaged and allowed to continue in their services as service providers/casual workers for the protection of forest and wildlife in different ranges under Manas Tiger Reserved Forest in the Baksa district. ‘And if found engaged and continued to serve in such capacities, the BTC authorities would consider granting the benefit of minimum scale of pay to the petitioners in terms of the law laid down in the cases of Upen Das (supra) as well as Jagjit Singh (supra),” the bench ordered.
The petitioners, 65 in number, are the members of a registered NGO, Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society of Khamardwisa, Lwkhibazar, in the district of Baksa. It is the case of the petitioners that they have been engaged as service providers/casual workers for the protection of forests & wildlife in different ranges from 2003 to 2007 under Manas Tiger Reserved Forest in the district of Baksa due to a shortage of manpower in the department. The petitioners have been dedicatedly rendering their services since their appointments on meagre wages.
It is the contention of the petitioners that the BTC authorities have considered providing the minimum pay scales to some of the similarly situated service providers and casual workers, while their cases have been left out.
“The aforementioned exercise, as directed above, must be completed within four months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this Order,” the judge said.
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