Umaisar Gull Ganie
SRINAGAR, SEP 04 (PTK): The failure of the health authorities to settle the appointment issue of an employee has left hundreds of employees including doctors and Para-medics working at different healthcare facilities in medical block Qazigund without salaries for last four months.
While the authorities maintain that the appointee has got the salary account of the entire medical block seized through a court order, employees say that the authorities have made all the employees of the medical block hostage by failing to settle the issue with the court.
Sources in the Medical Block said that a person Bilal Ahmad was appointed in the department in 2006 by the then BMO. Later in 2012 when the fake recruitment scam in the health department involving top officials for exposed and scores of such appointees were shown door and the officers involved were suspended , the then DDO stopped his salary. Since the matter was under investigation none of the DDOs posted in the block since then agreed to release his salary. Though the authorities later cleared the cases of many of such appointees but kept many of them pending. Those whose cases were not cleared had alleged that the authorities resorted to pick and choose in clearing the cases of the alleged fake appointees.
Sources said that the appointee after being denied the salary since 2012 moved the court seeking release of his wages. The court in response to his plea ordered the seizure of the salary account of the BMO Qazigund four months ago till the pending wages in favour of the said appointee are not released.
A delegation of employees including doctors and para-medics told that the authorities have made over two hundred employees working in different healthcare facilities of the block suffer for their no fault.
“The authorities have failed to settle the issue of one employee in the court. If the appointment of the employee is genuine let the authorities convince the court and release his salary as directed by the court. But instead of settling the issue they are making us suffer. We are without salaries from last nearly four months. Even on the occasion of two Eids we were not given our salaries,” said a para-medic who was part of the delegation.
He said that there are some poor sweepers working in the block who were virtually weeping on the occasion of Eid for salaries.
“How come authorities are so callous and hold hundreds of employees as hostages,” he said.
Block Medical Officer, Qazigund, Dr Zahoor , admitted that hundreds of employees are suffering due to the salary issue of one employee.
“This is injustice with the employees but we are helpless as the court has seized the salary account of the entire block. Now the court has asked the director to appear personally next week and I am hopeful the issue will be resolved that day,” BMO said.
Asked why they are not releasing the salary of the particular appointee, Dr Zahoor said that he had some service break which led to the stoppage of his salaries since 2012.
“I am here for last one year only but his salary is pending for last several years as no DDO has released his salary keeping in view the nature of his appointment,” BMO said. (PTK)
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