KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The Computer operators engaged in MGNREGA of Rural Development Department (RDD) of Jammu And Kashmir Government allege betrayal by RDD as they have been denied a significant portion of emoluments for the first three years after their engagement in September 2013.
The aggrieved employees who were engaged through National Institute Electronics and Information Technology Srinagar (formerly DOEACC) in August 2013 claim that the recruitment advertisement vide Advt No 14/2012-NIELIT(S) Dated 13-08-2012 had promised a monthly emoluments of Rs 7500/-, however, Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD) at District level in different districts slashed it down to Rs 7000/- per month as against the order from top authorities in Secretariat. A copy of the ACD’s order of one of the districts is in possession of Kashmir Life.
The denied amount sums up to around Rs 18000 per employee.
“The ACD is no authority to fiddle with orders from secretariat but it passed an intervening order on its own which is illegal,” said an aggrieved employee from North Kashmir, on the condition of anonymity. “There is no order from secretariat which empowers the ACDs to slash down the promised emoluments.”
The genuineness of the claim is ascertained from the recent pay enhancement order by Commissioner Secretary Rural Development vide Govt order No. 261-RD & PR of 2015 Dt. 22-09-2015. The order shows that the salary of the Computer operators is enhanced by 25% from Rs7500 per month to Rs9375/- per month.
The pay enhancement order treating initial monthly emoluments as Rs 7500/- reflects that ACDs apparently had not intimated the top authorities at secretariat about pay slash down by Rs 500/- per month at the time of engagement in September 2013.
“We have time and again raised our genuine concerns before higher authorities but there seems no action,” said a group of aggrieved employees.
Speaking to Kashmir Life, an official from Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Government of Jammu and Kashmir said, “This office has started the investigation into what went wrong and hopefully the aggrieved employees will receive the denied emoluments.”
He asserted that action will be taken against the officials concerned if any discrepancies were found.
