GGEA’s ‘emergency’ letter to CS over ‘non-receipt of salaries’

NT NETWORK

PANAJI

The Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA) on February 4 wrote an emergency letter to the Chief Secretary (CS) Parimal Rai as regards non-receipt of salaries by the employees of the electricity, excise and police departments, for the month of January.

“It has been reported that the employees of some divisions/ sub-offices of the electricity department, excise department and police department have not received the salaries for the month of January till date. They claim that they are given to understand that there is paucity of funds,” a letter written to the Chief Secretary by the Association president John Nazareth stated.

The communication further added, “In view of the above, it is requested to kindly look into the matter on priority basis and ensure that the salaries are paid without any further delay.”

Nazareth, later speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, said that the matter has got nothing to do with the government revenue; however, it is related to the folly of these departments.

“Every government department, during the last quarter of the financial year, need to move a note to the accounts department in view of the  supplementary budgetary provisions for salary aspect,” the Association president informed, adding that probably due to the budget session of the Assembly held at the end of January 2019, there was a delay on the part of these department towards the same.

“As per the information from the director of accounts, Prakash Pereira, the note has been now send by the concerned departments, as also the accounts department forwarded a related file to the Governor for her assent, and the ascent was received on February 5,” Nazareth noted, maintaining that most of the bills of these departments, which were checked and kept ready have been cleared and sent for ECS clearing, as also the salary to these departments would now hopefully be disbursed later this week.

When contacted, the Finance Secretary Daulat Hawaldar told this daily that the issue of releasing salaries of government employees in police and some other departments due to slight delay assent of the Governor for supplementary demand grant bill passed by the state assembly.

He, however, said that now the salaries of concerned employees have been released by the directorate of accounts after getting assent of the Governor to particular bill.