Kolkata, Feb 14 (IANS): The joint forum of West Bengal government employees agitating in Kolkata for the payment of dearness allowances (DA) arrears have now threatened to boycott poll-related duties for the forthcoming elections for the three-tier panchayat system scheduled this year unless the state government pays for the arrears.

The office-bearers of the forum informed media persons on Tuesday that they will be officially intimating both the state secretariat and the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) on this count. Apart from that, they will also accelerate the pace of their movement of the state government further delaying the process on arrear payment. This will include cease-work in different state government offices throughout the states.

The joint forum members have been holding sit-in-demonstrations on the streets of Kolkata since January 27. Fasting agitation for five days was also a part of the demonstration. Already two state government employees, namely Aniruddha Bhattacharya and Sanjit Chakraborty, had to be hospitalised as they had fallen sick during the course of agitation.

On February 13, the normal work in different state government offices got hampered following the cease-work observed by a large section of the employees. Now the agitators have threatened to go for prolonged cease-work besides boycotting poll duties for the rural civic body polls.

To recall, after being defeated in the single judge bench and division bench of the Calcutta High Court, which directed the state government to make immediate payments for the DA arrears, the state government moved to the Supreme Court where the matter is pending now. In their observations, the Calcutta High Court maintained that DA arrears are the legitimate right of the state government employees and not a gift of charity.