CHENNAI: Government employees and teachers arriving in Chennai to take part in the plan to lay siege on the State secretariat urging the government to fulfil their demands, have been arrested by police personnel at various entry points to city including Vandalur and Koyambedu bus terminus from early morning today.
Police have set up around 20 check posts around Chennai to 'filter' the office bearers, teachers and government employees who were planning to reach Chepauk to take out a march towards State secretariat.
Roads leading to the Secretariat have been surrounded by 6,000 police personnel at all entry points and people are being allowed through only after thorough checking.
VIEW PHOTOS | Government employees and teachers arrested in Chennai ahead of protest march at Tamil Nadu secretariat
At Koyambedu Mofussil bus terminus, a strong posse of police is checking government employees and teachers who have been arriving by buses. After checking identity cards and ensuring that they are indeed government employees and teachers, police have been taking them to a nearby mandapam in buses.
Within the bus, employees raised slogans about their demands.
The arrested employees said they had requested the State government to hold talks with them to resolve the outstanding issues but the government refused to do that and they are forced to agitate.
On Monday, Minister for Personnel and Administrative Reforms, D Jayakumar said 70 per cent of the government revenue was spent on employees’ welfare and requested the employees to given up their strike plan.