Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Feb 12: The UT Government has issued directives to all the Heads of Departments (HoDs) to release the salaries of those PM package and other minority employees who have resumed their duties in Kashmir Division.
The order to this effect was issued by the Government here today.
As per the order, all the concerned HoDs have been directed to release the salary of those PM package/other minority employees, who have resumed their duties in Kashmir Division, for the intervening period, without any gap, as a special measure by adjusting this period, in view of forthcoming Maha Shivratri Festival.
The order has been issued as per the directives of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and all the Administrative Secretaries have been asked to take appropriate action in the matter and furnish action taken report directly to the Lt Governor’s Secretariat by or before February 14 under the intimation to the General Administrative Department (GAD). Subsequently, the administration has passed the orders to all HoDs.
Earlier during his visit to Jagti township on February 4, where a special camp was organised for Kashmir migrants, Sinha had assured the Kashmiri Pandits that the salaries of the package employees will be released to those who have joined their duties in Valley when the issue was brought in his notice by some community people there.
The Lt Governor in his address had also said that targeting KPs was an attack on India’s integrity and only handful of people were behind this. He also informed the gathering at Jagti that administration is sensitive to the issues of Kashmiri Pandits and PM package employees and on the directives of PM Modi J&K Government is working with full sensitivity and commitment to address all the issues of Kashmiri migrants.
It may be recalled that PM package and reserved category employees are without salaries since May last year after the killing of Rahul Bhat a package employee who was working in tehsil office Budgam in Central Kashmir on May 12 while on duty.
However, majority of the package employees later returned to Valley and joined their duties after the Government assured the security and safety to them.
The employees were also demanding speeding up the work on transit accommodations, posting on district headquarters instead of far flung and remote areas in Valley which the Government had agreed in principle also. There was also resentment among a section of the package employees on denial of promotion to them. However, after this issue was brought in the notice of the LG, he issued directives of settling the same and promotion orders of deserving Junior Engineers and other employees who were earlier not included in the promotion list to the post of Assistant Engineers etc was issued by the concerned departments.
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