National Conference MP from Annatnag Hasnain Masoodi on Wednesday sought immediate disbursement of pending wages of contractual lecturers, daily-rated workers of different departments including local bodies’ employees. In a statement, Masoodi while expressing shock over holding back of wages of the employees said it was agonizing to see people, who were fighting the battle against COVID19 crave for their due wages and emoluments. “Most of the employees, whose wages have been withheld fall in contractual category. These people are already cash-strapped and as a norm have to wait for months to get their salaries credited to their accounts. The wages they get are also not as much of to cater to their needs. However the amount helps them to provide for the basic necessities of their families,” Masoodi said. He said it was unfortunate that these people “go hungry for days” in order to ensure their children would not sleep empty stomach. “How are these unfortunate families going to spend on basic sanitation amidst COVID19 when they have a hard time ensuring themselves and their families’ adequate meals? It is highly improper of the government to shut its eyes to the burgeoning miseries of these employees,” Masoodi said. He said the government should have prioritized disbursement of salaries to them on time. But, he said, contrarily the wages have been withheld for the reasons better known to government. He urged the government to disburse the pending wages of government employees both contractual and regular. He also urged the government to give additional benefits like bonus amounts to such employees who were coping with the crises on the ground. “The lock down is inevitable in wake of the spread of a global pandemic,” Masoodi said. He extended warm greetings to people on Shab-e-Baraat and urged them to abide by the COVID19 protocol and the government advisories.
