Assembly in session: Rs 10K cr arrears payable to govt staff: CM

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, December 23

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said in the Vidhan Sabha that the state government had Rs 10,000 crore liability on account of pending arrears of government employees following the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report.

He said this while responding to a question of Sujanpur MLA Rajinder Rana during the Question Hour on the last day of the winter session in Dharamsala. Rana had sought information on the arrears payable to the pensioners of various government boards, corporations and nagar panchayats after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations in the state.

526 posts for freedom fighters wards vacant

• As many as 526 posts reserved for the wards of freedom fighters vacant in various government departments, said the Chief Minister
• Jawalamukhi MLA Sanjay Rattan urged the government to do away with caste quota in jobs reserved for the wards of freedom fighters
• The government has written to the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, for a study for channelling of the Beas in the Mand area of Kangra district, said Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri
• Five women and 55 newborn have died in the Kamla Nehru Hospital in the past one year and the lift of the hospital is also not working, said Karsog MLA Deep Raj

The CM said the previous BJP government had implemented the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations six months before the last Assembly elections without making any budgetary provision. “The present government is now burdened with the liability. Despite poor financial health, the state government is trying to generate resources to pay arrears to the employees,” he added.

Sukhu, while responding to a query of Randhir Sharma, BJP MLA from Naina Devi, said that the government had spent Rs 4.30 crore on the repair of his house and those of ministers in Shimla in the past one year. He added that an outstanding liability of Rs 2.5 crore since the days of the previous BJP government was included in the Rs 4.30 crore amount.

To a question of Sanjay Rattan, Congress MLA from Jawalamukhi, the Chief Minister said that 526 posts reserved for the wards of freedom fighters were vacant in various government departments. Rattan said that the government should do away with caste quota in jobs reserved for the wards of freedom fighters. To this, Sukhu said that the government would get legal view on the provision.

To a question asked by Satpal Satti, BJP MLA from Una, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan informed the House that from January 1, 2022, to August 31, 2022, 2,610 cases of illegal mining were registered in the state and a fine of over Rs 2.41 crore was recovered under compoundable offences. The minister said that from December 2022 to August 31, 2023, 382 cases of illegal mining were registered and a fine of over Rs 54 lakh was recovered from the offenders.

To a query of Jeet Ram Katwal, BJP MLA from Jhandutta, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the previous BJP government had notified the Parbat Dhar scheme at 10 places in the state but did not make a budgetary provision for it. “The work on just one project has been done in the Jhandutta constituency. The government is trying to complete the incomplete works,” he added.

Agnihotri, while replying to a question of Bhawani Singh Pathania, Congress MLA from Fatehpur, said that the state government had written to the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, for a mathematical model study for channelling of the Beas in the Mand area of Kangra district. The institute had demanded Rs 23.57 lakh for the study. A detail project report (DPR) would be prepared for channelling of the Beas after the study, he added.

To Dehra MLA Hoshiyar Singh’s question, the Chief Minister said that 816 of 1,261 development works were stuck in the Dehra Assembly constituency for the past more than six months. Hoshiyar Singh urged the government to fix responsibility for the delay in development works on officials concerned. Sukhu said that in many cases, works were getting delayed due to legal and political hassles.

To Karsog MLA Deep Raj’s question, Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said the government had made a budgetary provision for the creation of a parking facility at the Kamla Nehru Hospital. Deep Raj said that the lift of the hospital was not working and women had to go to its sixth floor.

The Karsog MLA said it was a matter of concern that five women and 55 newborn had died in the hospital in the past one year. Shandil said that the government would provide more doctors and modern equipment to the hospital.

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