 Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 16: During a meeting with the J&K Medical Employees Federation delegation, Kavinder Gupta, former Deputy Chief Minister, emphasized the need for the timely release of salaries for employees of the Family Welfare Department. These employees, numbering 2,211, have not received their salaries for the past six months. Unlike the rest of the country and even the Union Territory of Ladakh, these employees rely on funds from the Government of India, while in other states and UTs, the salaries are directly borne by the respective governments.
Gupta further stated that the right to timely wages is a fundamental right and should be upheld with utmost importance in J&K as well. He urged for stronger enforcement of this right in the region.
Ranbir Singh Pathania, former MLA and J&K BJP Spokesperson, focused on the issue of timely and fair compensation for lands acquired by various departments for public projects. He expressed concern that the land compensation files of individuals whose lands were taken over have been neglected for decades, collecting dust in obscure offices. He advocated for the adoption of new techniques and best practices to address public issues more effectively.
Pathania also criticized the lack of progress on the Kirchi to Seoj Dhar road project. This multi-crore road, proposed and sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), started almost five years ago but was halted due to ecological concerns raised by the Department of Forests. However, the PMGSY department, in coordination with the Forest Department, has identified an alternative location that would reduce the road's length by five kilometers and save around 500 trees. Despite this, the project remains incomplete.
Several delegations also raised general issues during their visits to the BJP office. These issues included compassionate appointments, verifications, ex-gratia compensation for accident victims, relief for victims of militancy, proper convening of Gram Sabhas, drinking water and electricity issues, augmentation of stations, building permissions, staff shortages, and ensuring proper voltage electricity. These concerns were brought up by the delegations through references and telephone calls to the concerned officials. |
