Srinagar, Feb 11: Contingent Paid Workers (CPW) working in the rural development department (RDD) in Kashmir are without salaries from twenty two months due to which they are facing a lot of problems.
Workers while talking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that the government has not released their salary since the last 22 months due to which they are going through very tough times.
They said that one contingent paid worker is working in every block of the Kashmir division and are getting a meager salary.
Shakeel Ahmad, a contingent paid worker said that they are getting a salary in between Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per month but authorities failed to provide them even this very little amount from the last 22 months.
He said that we are working 24X7 even in a pandemic but due to unavailability of salary they are in a state of depression.
Workers said the delay in release of their salary has pushed them to a state of depression particularly the ones who are married and have to support a family.
“Our families are at the verge of starvation, how can we feed our family from the meager salary of Rs 1000 to Rs 3000. Even this amount is not released on time,” they said, and added that the government should consider the situation of CPWs and announce a hike in the monthly remuneration as well.
“Most of the workers are losing the hope of living, self-confidence because we are disappointed with the current situation we are going through,” they said.
They said that in March 2021 Director RDD Kashmir has written to all protect officers wage employment, the executive engineers of rural engineering wing, district panchayat officers and block development officers of Kashmir division to release sweeping charges of sweepers out of administrative component of centrally sponsored schemes till funds are released by the administrative department for these sweepers.
They alleged that most of the officials haven't given compliance to this order due to which poor sweepers are suffering.
“We request higher authorities of the department to release our pending salaries so that we can heave a sigh of relief,” they said.
An officer of the rural development department Kashmir division assured that this issue will be taken up with all concerned again and sweepers will get their wages very soon—(KNO)
