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| SVO to probe PHE union leaders’ wealth: Taj | | Terms strike call as unjust, uncalled for | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 4: In a clarion call to the union leaders of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department employees, Minister for PHE and Irrigation, Taj Mohi-ud-Din today said that the government has decided to hold an inquiry through State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) into amassed wealth accumulated by them
“We have decided to forward the cases of these leaders to Vigilance for holding an inquiry into the wealth accumulated by union leaders and that too, by exploiting the sentiments of the employees,” the Minister told reporters at Civil Secretariat.
Describing “non-performing” engineers of the department as “dead wood”, he said that the government has also decided to go for pre-mature retirement of these engineers. He further warned that the department officials having “hand-in-glove” with union leaders would also be liable for strict action.
The PHE employees union had given 48-hour-long strike call from March 8 in protest against the Government’s alleged failure to fulfill the demands of the employees.
“The Government would not succumb to “blackmailing” tactics of the Union leaders. We have already fulfilled most of the demands of the employees and the union leaders resorting to such blackmailing tactics are only to remain in publicity,” he asserted.
He remarked, “Inko Lagta Hai Ke Inki Dukandari Baand Ho Jayegi. Aap Yakeen Nahi Karege Jo Driver Hai Usne Bhi Aage Driver Rakha Hai. Inke Paas Itney Paise Kaha Se Aay” while warning the union leaders for holding an inquiry into their wealth.
Terming the strike call as “unjust” and “uncalled for”, Taj Mohi-ud-Din maintained that the Government has taken historic decision of regularization of about 15,000 causal and need-based workers in the PHE department.
He said the process is on to prepare the list of genuine workers and eliminate fake ones, adding that once the list is ready, the cabinet would approve it and the workers who were getting some Rs 4000 a year would now be getting Rs 40,000.
The Minister said ever-since he took over the charge of the department, he has tightened the noose around the mischievous and unscrupulous elements in the department.
He said that he is concerned more about these young boys who would be benefited by this step of regularization and felt pity on the so called leaders who have amassed wealth by exploiting their sentiments. He said around 2500 employees have volunteered to retire paving the way for new entrants to the department.
On the other demands of the employees, the Minister said the Government is, given the essential nature of their job, considering to give them further one and half day’s extra salary for which necessary exercise is under way.
He said the workers of the department would also be given technical grades once the technical staff of other departments is also given the same benefit. He said there are 40,000 habitations all over the State and it is not humanly possible to keep a track of staffing of every habitation.
So, he said, the cabinet has given powers to Numberdars to ensure attendance of employees of various departments in respective villages. He said once Panchayat elections are conducted, the Sarpanchs would be entrusted with the job.
Appealing the employees not to pay heed to such unscrupulous elements, Taj said the PHE employees of Kashmir division have already disassociated from the strike. He said the Government has all the alternative mechanism in place to provide drinking water services to the public. “We will take the help of home guards and other agencies to ensure smooth water supply but they should ready to go behind the bars,” he warned.
He said that the Government would maintain “biometric’ record of all PHE employees to bring transparency in the system.
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