Punjab State Veterinary Inspectors Association at Muktsar

The Punjab State Veterinary Inspectors Association has decided not to take animals to the state-level Maghi Mela of animals to be held in Muktsar in January as a mark of their protest against the government.  This decision was taken at a meeting of the state veterinary inspectors at Chatar Singh Park in Model Town area.  Seeking development avenues for inspectors, these veterinary inspectors wanted that the government should start diploma in the veterinary science and the animal husbandry. The association was also against the pay-scales that were hiked on the recommendation of the report of  as Punjab Fifth Pay Commission as they alleged that the hike was less. They said that if their demands would not be fulfilled, they would start a agitation from the Maghi fair in Muktsar in January.  Notably, there are over 1,800 veterinary inspectors in the state who were promoted to the post of inspectors from the pharmacist. These inspectors alleged that the authorities had promoted them after their agitation but now they were not being promoted further and their future has again been left in the doldrums.  Jagtar Singh, president of Punjab State Veterinary Inspectors' Association, said that if their three demands were not fulfilled by the government then they would not take any of the animals in the Maghi Muktsar Fair to mark their protest.  Making the Maghi fair a flop show, he said, "All the inspectors of the state were one on the issue and now we will only take rest when our demands are fulfilled otherwise we will not be left with any other option but to take to protests."  Gurpreet Singh, secretary of the Punjab State Veterinary Inspectors, said, "We feel cheated as our pay-scales our not revised according to our work. We join as inspectors and retire as inspectors but enough is enough."