Widows of late panchayat teachers forced to polish shoes to run expense

Raipur:Widows of panchayat teachers, who died during Covid-19 pandemic after getting infected by the disease and other incidents, were seen polishing the shoes on the roadside to draw state government’s attention towards their demand of appointment on compassionate ground.

It is to be mentioned, the widows of the teachers have been staging demonstration at Budha Talabin Raipur for nearly a fortnight demanding compassionate appointment. As the state government remains apathetic towards their demand, they polished the shoes of the passersby to run the expenses during their ongoing agitation. The women charged Rs 10-20  for the polish of one pair of shoesthat people gave in return. Since December 6, all these women from Janjgir, Rajnandgaon, Bastar, Bilaspur, Durg and other parts of the state reached Budha Talab to join the demonstration.

According to one of the participants, the government had formed a committee of senior officers after giving assurance. This committee was to submit its report in a month, but the committee has not yet given the report.

She further said that since December 6, they are forced to stay here at the site of the dharna in the chilling cold weather. All of them are feeling helpless after the death of their husband. They only demand the fulfillment of their rights. She said that some have done MA, some have done BEd while most of them are graduates but the government is not giving them employment despite their eligibility.