26 GMC employees sans salary for two months

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 15

As many as 26 employees of Government Medical College (GMC), including doctors, pharmacists, radiographers, staff nurses and paramedics, have not received their salaries since March 31 due to change in rules introduced by the Department of Finance.

Employees said they were adjusted against other posts and had been so far drawing salaries against them. One of them, Associate Professor Dr Rajiv Dhawan said, “I am working as an associate professor and as radiation safety officer. But the college does not have a sanctioned post here. Ideally instead of sanctioning required posts, we were being given salaries against other sanctioned posts.” He said employees did not have a problem till recently as they were being paid. “Now, the new rules have come into force and one is required to draw salary against the sanctioned post only,” he said.

Employees said they had been making regular rounds of offices to know about their salary, but so far have failed to get the issue resolved. A pharmacist, Ashok Kumar, said, “The fault is not ours, but we are suffering. They (concerned officials) say that the file for approval of our case is moving at a slow pace.” He said that earlier it was stated that it is due to election code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections and now due to reshuffle of Cabinet ministers.

Another employee, Bhagat Singh, said, “We want release of our salaries immediately as people have to pay admission fee of their children and meet other expenses. We are borrowing money from friends and relatives but it is very embarrassing. Had the officials concerned taken it up, the issue wouldn’t have cropped up.”

College officials say the issue will be resolved soon. “The file has already been placed before higher-ups. Hopefully, it will be resolved soon,” said an official of the college, who didn’t wish to be named.