Outsourced MC staff face salary delay amid administrative lapse

Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 18 An administrative lapse within the Municipal Corporation has resulted in a two-month delay in salary payments for 835 outsourced employees. The delay resulted due to the failure of several Heads of Departments (HoDs) to submit attendance reports on time. Despite repeated directives, including three official orders issued within the last six days by Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh, compliance has remained unsatisfactory. Most recently, on May 16, officials were strictly instructed to submit the attendance records by 4 pm without fail. Now, in an effort to enforce stricter accountability, a high-level meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow (May 19) at 10.30 am. All concerned HoDs have been directed to attend the meeting. They have also been instructed to ensure their subordinate staff prepare and bring a list of outsourced employees, along with their PAN card details and mobile phone numbers. Initially, municipal officials claimed that the salary delay was due to a change in the outsourcing agency, stating that the previous contractor had exited without completing the necessary formalities, thus causing a disruption in payment processing. However, ground reports suggest a different picture, pointing towards internal administrative negligence. It is worth mentioning that the initial direction to submit the final attendance reports was issued on May 12, with a deadline of May 13. Even after the deadline passed, no consolidated report was submitted, highlighting continued indifference of departmental heads. The outcome of tomorrow’s meeting is expected to determine whether corrective actions will be taken or if further delays will continue to affect hundreds of outsourced workers who rely on their wages. In recent instructions, Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh warned that further negligence would lead to disciplinary action. File