Health employees on dharna at Begusarai

begusarai: with the beginning of a five-day dharna programme at the collectorate from monday, the health department employees of begusarai district have, under the banner of the bihar medical & public health employees association, adopted the path of agitation following the recent order of dm k p ramaiya to stop payments to 527 employees facing an inquiry into their alleged fake and illegal appointments.according to association leaders, the employees here are harassed as the inquiry, supposed to have been completed by the end of 1999, is continuing without any time limit. the secretary of the district unit of the association, yogendra jha, alleged that the payments of even those employees have been held up who were appointed on compassionate ground, besides the appointments made by the dm and the appointees who have the order of the high court in their favour. the probe committee was reconstituted by the dm recently. it is headed by adm upendra sharma and includes civil surgeon surendra lal das, district accounts officer and the district employment officer. when contacted, the adm said that the probe committee would submit its report with regard to the fake and illegal appointments in the health department in the district from january 1, 1980 onwards, by the end of march.