Employees and pensioners - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Employees and pensioners

Heading towards an open conflict

4/19/2018 11:30:09 PM

R.B. Suri

In view of the non issuance of the requisite SRO by the State Government in connection with the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission (7th CPC) as committed in the Financial Budget last year as also in the Financial Budget for the current year 2018-19 in which the then Finance Minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Haseeb A. Drabu announced that 7th CPC stands implemented in the state in favour of the State Government employees and the pensioners as well with the stipulation that the employees and the pensioners would get their revised salaries and the pensions effecting from April 1. This announcement made by the Finance Minister received the good compliments from the employees and the pensioners and in fact , they welcomed the announcement with great pleasure and respect for the State Government led by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and thanked her for this bold step of the State Government. Having made the said announcement,Dr. Haseeb Drabu gave the necessary directions to the Finance Department in this regard. The said SRO was supposed to be issued by 15th April which has not been issued yet. Those were the days of January this year, when he gave the directions but still no compliance has been made as yet which is very unfortunate. After his exit from the State Government, his successor Syed Altaf Bukhari assured the employees and the pensioners that the State Government is fully committed on this score and they should not worry at all. Hurriedly, he convened an important meeting of the officers of the Finance Department and other related departments and after having discussed the matter threadbare , similar instructions were imparted to the Finance Department by him for the issuance of the requisite SRO at the earliest possible enabling the employees and the pensioners to draw their revised salaries and pensions effecting from April 1, 2018. It is very unfortunate that up to this time,no such SRO has been issued by the Finance Department for the reasons best known to the department .On one pretext or the other,the State Government is delaying in issuing the said SRO because of which, it is apprehended that the State Government do not want to implement the 7th CPC as already committed by it on the floor of the house of J&K legislative Assembly, while presenting the Financial Budget for the current year 2018-19 by the then Finance Minister Dr. Haseeb Drabu.
Smelling something fishy, the employees and the pensioners feel highly depressed and deceived by the State Government. There are reports from the corridors of power that no such SRO will be issued shortly and it will take some more time to do so .
In view of this , certain print media circles reveal that there may be an open conflict between the employees / pensioners and the State Government in the days to come. The Civil Secretariat working in Jammu at present is on the last leg and it is apprehended that since time gap is very small as the Civil Secretariat is closing on April 27 and in view of the non issuance of the requisite SRO, the employees and the pensioners would be deprived of the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission. It is highly unfortunate that the State Government is not discharging its duties faith fully rather it is adopting the delaying tactics and is not standing on its own commitment made to the employees and the pensioners resulting which the employees and the pensioners are feeling disgusted, deceived and betrayed by the State Government.Also there are reports that something is simmering below the soil and keeping in view the prevailing scenario, the employees and the pensioners' trade unions are mulling to hit the streets . To plug the erupting stage of direct confrontation between the employees / pensioners and State Government , the issuance of the requisite SRO is must otherwise the relations of the employees with government will be at logger ends and the situation may take a bad turn in the days to come. Now as per the information from the reliable sources , that the State Government is going back from its commitment from the promise made by it with the employees of the Civil Secretariat and the pensioners as well . This is highly deplorable as once committed faithfully that too on the floor of the house of J&K Legislative Assembly during the current year budget session at Jammu as also in the number of meetings convened by the State Government in which the representatives of the employees and the pensioners also participated as is evident from the fact that the minutes of the same are record. But by not issuing the said SRO up to this time, it shows the bad intent of the State Government on this score .
The State Government should not compell the employees to adopt the agitational path . A stitch in time saves nine . Acting accordingly , it should issue the SRO in this regard without any further loss of time as Time and tide wait for none . Therefore, it is the high time to act upon soon to save the situation. Now the time of Darbar Move has come and the Civil Secretariat will move to Srinagar on April 27 and in the first week of May, it will reopen at Srinagar . Better to issue the said SRO in order to maintain the cordial relations with the employees as also to avoid the direct confrontation with employees in and outside the Civil Secretariat. Also pertinent to mention here that in the Kashmir valley the law and order situation is not so good these days and there are apprehensions that the reopening of the Darbar at Srinagar would add fuel to the fire . So, it would be in the interests of the state as well as the law and situation in the valley that issuance of the said SRO is must from all the angles so as to enable the employees and pensioners to draw their revised salaries and the pensions effecting from April 1 as already committed by the State Government with the employees. If the State Government would adopt the lethargic approach in dealing with this important matter, it would be landing into the unavoidable situation in the days to come. Others, apart from the employees and pensioners, who have kept their eyes open on this sensitive issue, would exploit the employees and the pensioners for their petty ends and keeping this aspect also in view, it would be in the interests of the State Government that the SRO in this regard finds its place at the earliest possible.The trade unions of the employees and the pensioners have already started their activities in the field vigoursly in gearing up and motivating their members with the request to them that they should keep themselves ready for the massive struggle ahead in the days to come for getting their just and genuine demands acceded by the State Government. Keeping in view the captioned lines, the issuance of the requisite SRO is must .
Therefore, the said SRO must be issued within 2-3 days positively. The employees and the pensioners are watching the State Government with much concern and they are still hopeful that the SRO will be issued within days definitely.
In these days of high inflation, the employees and pensioners are facing many difficulties in passing their lives and for the cause which is dearer to them, they would be ready for do or die situation. If, anything untoward would happen in the days to come, the entire responsibility would be on the State Government which has gone under a deep sleep over this sensitive issue involved . Better a good sense prevails and the issue involved be clinched without any further delay by the grace of almighty so as to avoid the open conflict between the the employees / pensioners and the State Government.

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