Employees’ strike | Health, other services affected in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi

Members of Karnataka State Government Employees Association of Dakshina Kannada unit staged a silent protest at Mini Vidhana Soudha, as part of government employees strike, in Mangaluru on March 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath

The municipal, health, and other government services were largely affected in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Wednesday due to the State-wide strike by government employees demanding hike in salary, which was later withdrawn.

All the government offices were closed across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The three main gates of the Mangaluru City Corporation were closed. People, who had come to pay property tax, had to collect challans from the volunteers sitting outside the gates and pay the tax at the nearby bank.

Also Read | Employees’ strike: Karnataka government announces 17% hike in basic salary as interim relief

Similarly, striking personnel had closed main doors of the mini Vidhana Soudha. Large number of people, who came for registration and other works, had to return home disappointed. The personnel had also closed main doors of the building leading to offices of Commercial Tax, Public Works Department, office of District Health and Family Welfare officer and Regional Transport Office.

The Deputy Commissioner’s office in Udupi wore a deserted look on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Kumara said only officers and outsourced staff turned up at the district-level offices of different departments in Zilla Panchayat. Though Mr. Kumar said primary health centres and other government health facilities functioned with necessary health staff, there were reports that health services were affected in some centres in the district.

Superintendent of Government Wenlock Hospital Sadashiva said the strike did not affect operations of the hospital and it operated as usual.

The Mangaluru City Corporation wearing a deserted look on Wednesday owing to the State government employees’ strike.
| Photo Credit:
H.S. MANJUNATH

The services of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district remained unaffected.

Meanwhile, several patients, who were unaware of strike, had to return home disappointed after failing to get services at the out patient department of district Government Hospital in Ajjarkad in Udupi as doctors had not reported to duty. District Surgeon Madhusudhan Nayak said the doctors attended to 96 inpatients of the hospital.

At the Government Mother and Child Health Hospital in Udupi, outpatient service was affected while emergency services and inpatient service were available. Holiday was declared by many schools and pre university colleges as teachers failed to report to duty. The sanitation work of Udupi City Municipal Council was affected partially as 53 permanent civic workers of the 193 civic workers stayed off duty.