Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 2: Legislators cutting across party lines today unanimously demanded a hike in their salaries and that of their assistants and Constituency Development Fund.
Fifty four MLAs from all parties today signed a memorandum, seeking a hike in their salaries. The memorandum was submitted by BJP State president Sat Paul Sharma to Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, who was presiding over the proceedings, at that time.
The MLAs wanted a direction from the chair to the Government for hiking the salaries. However, the Deputy Speaker refused to pass any direction but forwarded the memorandum to Finance Minister Haseeb A Drabu for consideration. “It is a financial matter. The Finance Minister will examine it and make a statement in the House before the end of the ongoing session,” Gurezi said.
While taking part in the general discussion on the budget proposals, several MLAs sought a hike in the Constituency Development Fund from current Rs 1.5 crore per year to Rs Five crore. They also sought an increase in remuneration for personal assistants to the MLAs from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000.
Those who spoke on the issue include Congress MLAs G M Saroori and Mohammad Amin Bhat, BJP’s Sharma, Neelam Langeh and Ravinder Raina.
The MLCs also demanded hike of salary to Rs 2.5 lakh. Congress MLC, G N Monga was the first one to raise the demand saying the legislators were being paid “a meager amount” which was not enough in today’s times. “We are paid a basic salary of Rs 35,000 which is a meagre amount. There is a need to increase our salary as we have to cater to a larger public and this amount is not enough in today’s times,” Monga said. His party colleague, Jugal Kishore, also supported the demand, saying Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also raised the salary of the legislators recently.
Qaiser Lone from National Conference went a step further and demanded that the pension of ex-legislators be also increased and the members be given laptops and tablets. “There should be a salary hike for the MLCs. Many States have hiked the salaries of the legislators and we feel there should be a hike of 200 per cent in the salary of the legislators of the House. Along with that, the pension of the ex-legislators be also hiked. The legislators used to get laptops and i-pads, but since this government took over, they have not given us anything. We should be given laptops, i-pads as well,” Lone said.
The NC MLC also sought an increase in the constituency development fund which at present is Rs 1.5 crore. “It should be raised to the minimum of Rs five crores,” he demanded. Not only the members from the opposition, the ruling party MLCs also supported the demand.
PDP MLC Surinder Kumar Choudhary said the legislators have higher protocol than the Chief Secretary of the state, but less salary than him or “even than their personal security officer (PSO)”.
PSO has a salary of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. Our salary should be hiked to a minimum of Rs 2.5 lakh,” he said.
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