ONGOLE: As many as 86 village volunteers filed petitions in the High Court, alleging that the authorities did not allow them to attend training classes despite them having been selected for the job. Majority of these petitioners belong to the villages in the Chirala and Vetapalem mandals.
Meanwhile, around 17,964 village volunteers were ready to begin their duties from Saturday. Among them, 14,625 were selected for village volunteer posts and 3,340 forward volunteer posts. Though thousands of village volunteers joined their duties and started their work, 86 persons, including N Pratap Kumar belonging to Totavari palem-Chirala town, were allegedly denied access to the training.
High Court Justice Venkata Ramana took up the case for trial and ordered to issue notices to the Panchayat Raj principal secretary, Prakasam district collector, Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs) of Chirala and Vetapalem Mandals. The officials were asked to file affidavits regarding the petitions filed by the petitioners. The case was then adjourned.
“Our clients attended the interviews for the recruitment of village volunteers and the officials announced that they were selected. Their names were also displayed on notice boards. Later, when they went to attend the training classes which were held from August 7 to 12, officials stopped them and didn’t allow them inside saying that they were not selected for the said posts.
Even they approached the district collector in this regard requesting him to do justice, but no one came to their rescue. As a last resort, they have approached the High Court,” the advocate of the petitioners explained to the judge.