Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 12: The All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) has lambasted the State Government for not releasing the salaries of the PM Package employees working in Kashmir valley for months together forcing them to celebrate festivals with empty pockets.
Taking a strong note of the fact that despite repeated pleas the employees were being denied their due salaries for months on one or the other pretext saying the Government was itself sabotaging the success of PM’s Employment Package.
Citing the example of Qaimoh Education Zone of Kulgam district the APMCC Chairman Vinod Pandit said that despite assurances by the authorities the salary of the PM Package Employees (teachers) has been withheld without any reason since August this year even as two important festivals took place during this period.
He said that the height of the callous attitude of the Government was that on the one side the relief of the families of these employees has been stopped and on the other hand their salaries were also being withheld for reasons best known to the authorities.
Demanding immediate release of the salary which is withheld since August this year he said that other migrant employees working in different parts of Kashmir Valley were facing similar situations adding there were instances where arrears since the joining of the employees in 2010 were also still pending.
He warned the Government of taking Pandits for granted particularly these employees who volunteered to work in Valley on the assurances of the Government to provide all the facilities to them adding they have been left to fend for themselves.
He wondered why the salaries and arrears were being denied to employees when the entire package is being funded by the Central Government adding it seems the State Government itself was against the package.
He asked the Government to release the salaries of the employees forthwith so that APMCC is not forced to launch an agitation in this regard.