Zila Parishad staff working sans salary for over three months

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“Last time, we had got the salary for the month of April. Thereafter, we have not received a single penny for May, June and July. Even August is about to end. Employees of all other departments and officers, however, are getting their salary on time. No one seems to be bothered to pay our salary on time. Nowadays, can anyone even think of survival without getting salary for more than three months? The state government seems to be in a deep slumber.”

A Class-IV employee at Muktsar Zila Parishad office

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 24

A large number of Zila Parishad employees in the state have been workings without salaries for the past more than three months. The state government has not given them the salary after the month of April.

A Class-IV employee working at the Zila Parishad office here said, “Last time, we had got the salary for the month of April. Thereafter, we have not received a single penny for May, June and July. Even August is about to end. Employees of all other departments and officers, however, are getting the salary on time. No one seems to be bothered to pay our salary on time. Nowadays, can anyone even think to survive without getting salary for more than three months? The state government seems to be in a deep slumber.”

Another employee said, “Before April, we had got the salary of three months. Every time, the salary got delayed and there is no system in place. The Zila Parishad does not have its own resources. Therefore, the salary comes from the tax levied by some other department. We have lodged some protests in the past as well, but no avail.”

On this, HS Sra, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Muktsar, said, “It is true that employees have not received the salary of last three months. The Zila Parishad does not have its own resources to pay them on time. The situation is similar in a number of other districts. However, the employees have been given salaries where the Zila Parishads have their own resources. In our district, the employees usually get salaries of three months in one go.”

Meanwhile, sources said the employees of some block development and panchayat offices were also awaiting their salaries.