the goan I network
MARGAO
Beleaguered employees of the Administrator of Comunidades, South Zone have been left high and dry as the High Court direction to the State government to pay two months salaries to the employees has gone abegging.
The four weeks time-frame set by a division bench of the Bombay High Court consisting of Justice Nutan D Sardesai and Justice F M Reis had on July 25 passed an interim order in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, directing the government to pay the salary of the employees for two months within four weeks from the day of the order.
The beleaguered employees, however, informed that they have not received any salary till date as per the High Court order. And, they had no idea whether the government will clear their salaries of the last 12 months before the ensuing Ganesh Chathurti festivities scheduled during the weekend. "The High Court interim order to the State government to pay salaries of the 27 employees for two months expired on Monday. We had inquired with the Administrator of Comunidades on the status of our salaries, but he was categorical in saying that he has not received any funds from the government till date," remarked an employee.
The 27 employees employed by the Administrator of Comunidades have not been paid salaries of the last 12 months on grounds that the body has not received funds from the government. In the past, salaries of the Comunidades employees were paid by the Administrator out of the grant made by the government.
With the government dilly-dallying on the payment of salaries, the 27 employees had knocked the doors of the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court on grounds that their salary was withheld by the concerned authorities, drawing attention of the court that earlier salary amounts were being paid by way of grant by the government to the Administrator of Comunidade.
The employees had further contended before the High Court that the appointing authority is the Collector in terms of the Rules framed pursuant to section 3 of the Goa, Daman and Diu Comunidade Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1981. They had cited different provisions to point out that the appointments are done at the instance of the State government.
