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| Emoluments still elude MGNREGA contractors | | RDD Poonch sleeps over labourers dues | | M S Nazki
MENDHAR, Apr 18: The border towns of Poonch, Surankote, Mendhar and Balakote are the major victims, not only on the terror front for being adjacent to sensitive Pakistan stretch, but are suffering the Government apathy also as most of the people employed through Government contracts here are being left bereft of their hard money since long.
A prominent allegation was charged by a particular segment including the labors and IV class employees of this belt who were engaged by Rural Development Department (RRD) for works under the MGNREGA scheme, but after the completion of the works even, no labour is paid to the employees who are heavily relying upon this money's worth to run their daily chores, besides failing in meeting to the needs of the educational requirements of their wards as they are unable to pay the fee for new admissions in the schools.
"It is since now months that we have completed many small and big works of MNREGA as were assigned to us by the RDD, but whenever we turn up to the head office at Poonch , we are given lame excuses only," said Din Mohammad, 45, a labour who is one among many other victims of the Departments' nonchalance towards the payment of the labour to its contractual employees.
As per the sources privy to RDD, Poonch, above Rs 20 crores cost of works have been executed at different tehsils under the MGNREGA scheme, the payments for which still are pending.
"Rs 5 cr and above is pending for block Mendhar, above Rs 4 cr remains pending for Balakote , and Surankote and Poonch also that have rendered the local labour as well as contractual employees in a fix as they are majorly dependent on these amounts to run their households round the year," said the sources.
They further divulge that the area running in stretch adjacent to militants' attack prone vicinity, the inhabitants here are mainly dependent on the local labour or on the petty contractual jobs provided under the Government schemes that make their livelihood.
"There are many instances where the frustrated youth and the local people embraced militancy due to the lack of educational as well as professional support in these areas and when Government also star hoodwinking them, they get more obdurate towards such felonies," said one of the labourer whose frustration was quite apparent while talking to this Early Times reporter at Mendhar.
ACD Poonch Showkat Maqbool Mohammad when asked about the means of redressing the peoples' grievances, he said that Government liabilities have crossed the Rs 20 crore mark and the department is looking towards the centre to release the funds for the payments.
"Many letters have been written to state Government as well as the RDD Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar to get our dues released, but to no avail. Even the RDD Minister Sagar never cared to pay any attention towards Poonch which is the last Jammu district and is heavily infected with militancy," said Qayoom Abdul of Surankote, a contractual labour.
Labour Union leader of the area, Abdul Majid Choudhary was quite vocal against the department as well as state's ignorance towards the labour class.
"We have given a time frame of May 1 as the last date of redressing our grievances. If our dues are not cleared by May Day, the entire labour and contractual class would strike the work and hit the roads , onus for which the incumbent Government have to bear," warned Majid Choudhary. |
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