The state Government's problems may worsen with the fire service personnel also agitating over the non-revision of their pay scales.

The Orissa Police Havildar Constable and Sepoys' Confederation has over 40,000 members drawn from Orissa Police and Orissa State Armed Police in the ranks of constables, havildars, sepoys. President of the Confederation Padmanav Behera said the police personnel in the lower ranks have been subjected to gross injustice by not being offered pay packages as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

Behera said the Confederation will soon call an emergency general body meeting any day before February 18 to fix the date from which the force will go on strike. He added that the day-long fast by the spouses of the members of the confederation on Monday failed to get any response from the Government. "The fast was observed by the confederation's 47 branches in their respective areas. We are now being forced to take an extreme step, as the state Government has not even bothered to look into our demands," Behera told The Indian Express from Cuttack.

The constables and havildars are on warpath over the Fitment Committee report that fixed their new pay scales in December 2008. The committee said that a state Government constable ideally should receive a revised pay packet that was Rs 3,000 less than his counterpart at the Centre. "We will not accept the report. A Cabinet sub-committee or a high power committee should be formed to fix appropriate pay packages and incentives for the personnel. There should be parity between the Central and state Government constables, as our work profile are almost the same. The state should also give monthly police service pay of Rs 1,000 for a new recruit, as is done by the Centre," Behera said.

He added that the state Government employees in other sectors have got enhanced pay, while the police have been meted with a step-motherly treatment.