Hundreds of RPAB employees from all over the country including Comilla, Chittagong, Sylhet, Feni, Tangail, Bogra, Gazipur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Patuakhali and Narayanganj joined the sit-in programme.

Meanwhile, at around 7:00pm last night BRDB DG Abdus Samad Mallik expressed solidarity with the demands of the employees at the sit-in programme and assured them of taking immediate steps to implement their demands.

The leaders postponed their today's programme.

However, they will declare new programme if DG does not send implementation order of pay scale to the finance secretary by September 12.

The RPAP employees also decided not to receive salary from now on until the new pay scale is implemented.

Earlier, speaking at the sit-in programme, BRDB unit President Muhammad Moin Uddin said, "Since BRDB cannot maintain the RPAP programme like other development projects of the government, a separate directorate needs to be formed for the project."The other demands of the employees of RPAP include transferring the project along with its workforce to revenue sector and immediate implementation of the National Pay Scale 2005.

A total of 1399 employees of RPAP project are receiving salary according the 1997 pay scale while other government employees are receiving salary according to the new pay scale, said Ataur Rahman, assistant rural development officer.