MARGAO
Just imagine this situation. After going without the salaries for 13 months, the 25-odd South Goa Administrator of Comunidade employees had to contend with a salary (part-payment) of mere Rs 9000.
South Goa Administrator of Comunidade employees faced this ordeal after being left high and dry for the last 13 months with the much-promised salaries still not forthcoming to date.
While their government counterparts received their monthly salaries on time, the Comunidade employees realized that the government did not honour the promise to clear the salary dues of the last 13 months.
Left with no option and the salaries not coming on time, the employees requested the Administrator of Comunidades John Fernandes to at least disburse part-salary from the funds available with the office.
Sources informed that since the Administrator’s office was in receipt of Rs two lakh by way of transfer of shares, the beleaguered employees got the Administrator disburse the amount to them as part-payment of their salaries to make both ends meet.
“The part-payment of Rs 9000 to each of the employees is just a meagre amount of salary. We requested the Administrator to disburse the amount since the delay has left us high and dry,” remarked an employee.
The employees rued that repeated promises made by the government officials, including revenue officials to clear their salary dues and make timely payments have not been honoured to date.
“We have only received empty promises from the government. Even senior officials wonder how are the Comunidade employees going to manage their daily chores in the absence of payments,” observed another employee, while making a fervent plea to the government to treat them on par with other government servants.
Sources in the know informed that the newly-posted District Collector Ruchika Katyal, IAS, had a meeting with the Comunidade employees to find out the problem faced by them.
The employees are now pinning hopes on the forthcoming meeting of the Comunidade officials later this week to address their long-pending issue of salary payments.
