| Over 400 teachers without salary since two months | | After retirement of ZEO, no new DDO posted by govt so far | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Nov 25: Over four hundred teachers posted in schools falling under Zone Lakhanpur of School Education department have been without salaries for the last over two months as after the retirement of Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) no new officer has been posted by the government so far.
Teachers posted in various schools falling in Zone Lakhanpur of School Education department informed Early Times that the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Lakhanpur, who happened to be the DDO, had attained superannuation on 30th October 2020. “As the DDO had retired, the salary of October month was not released by the department as the salaries are only released following approval by DDO, but since no DDO was posted there, salaries were withheld”, a teacher said.
The teachers further said that they had been waiting for posting of new DDO very soon, before the Diwali festivities but administration had not paid any heed, thus depriving the teachers of their salaries on the occasion of Diwali. “The employees have to pay EMIs, other monthly expenditures but given the withheld salary, they have been facing hurdles”, another teacher said, adding that they have been facing hardships to meet their monthly expenditures as well as tuition fee and other expenses of the children.
Teachers further informed that they had approached the Chief Education Officer (CEO) as well as Director School Education Jammu for appointment of new DDO but the department has not paid any heed. “Usually it is generally believed that official works accelerated during the Governor or Lieutenant Governor’s rule but non-posting of a new DDO, narrates the pace of official works”, a teacher said, adding that there was no hope of posting a new DDO very soon.
Chief Education Officer Kathua, Jagjeet Singh said that a communiqué has already been forwarded to Director School Education Jammu for posting of new DDO in Zone Lakhanpur. “Recently I had visited the Director School Jammu to know about the status of new DDO but they informed that the approval has been given by Civil Secretariat, which is still awaiting”, Singh said.
On being asked if the salary of teachers could be released with some other arrangement, Singh said that only after the posting of new DDO, salaries could be released. |
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