MC, rural development office staff sans salaries

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 16

While the nation will celebrate Diwali on Thursday, the District Rural Development Office (DRDO) staff and their family members will be deprived of the celebrations this time as they have not received salaries for the past 19 months.

Similarly, as many as 3,000 employees of Municipal Corporation have not received their salaries for the past two months.

The Assistant Project Officer of the DRDO, Sukhjinder Singh, warned that in case, any employee, living under distressing condition, take a serious step under the psychological stress then the government would be held responsible.

He informed that the DRDO was working under the Rural Development and Panchayati Department was working with office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development).

They have been on pen-down strike since August 7, seriously impairing the office work. However, it failed to move the government from its slumber so that it could take stock of the staff.

The agitating employees approached Secretary Rural Development, the Panchayat Department and its other higher officials with memorandums and oral requests to early release of their pay as well.

Meanwhile, Harjinder Singh Walia, president, Nagar Nigam Karamchari Talmel Dal, said, nearly 3,000 employees of the MC and their families would be forced to celebrate ‘black Diwali’ as they have not received salaries for the past two months. He requested the government to clear the backlog ahead of Diwali.