PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The members of the Karmchari Adhikari Sanyukt Morcha staged a one-day protest at the Jal Sansthan headquarters here on Thursday, resenting the decision of the authorities to assign revenue collection responsibility to Peyjal Nigam. They stated that as the employees’ salaries are paid from revenue collections, the work either be returned to Jal Sansthan or that Jal Sansthan be made a government body so that it becomes the government’s responsibility to disburse their salaries.
Commenting on this, the morcha’s general secretary Jaipal Singh Chauhan said that earlier Jal Sansthan had been made responsible for maintenance and revenue collection, while Peyjal Nigam’s responsibility had been confined to construction work. “Over the years, the situation changed and without any cabinet order, Peyjal Nigam was assigned revenue collection work at the instance of the secretary,” he said. He further said that this change was under process for long but has been fully implemented recently.
“The new water supply schemes are assigned to Peyjal Nigam, from which they are asked to collect revenue. Besides, if Peyjal Nigam undertakes any work for old water schemes, they collect revenues from them. This is affecting Jal Sansthan employees and making our salaries uncertain,” he said.
Members of the Morcha said that earlier, Peyjal Nigam constructed water supply schemes and handed them over to Jal Sansthan for revenue collection.
Meanwhile, the chief general manager (CGM) of Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan invited the agitating union for discussions. The CGM is learnt to have assured the delegation that their concerns would be communicated to the appropriate government levels.
Notably, employees of Jal Sansthan from across the State were present during the stir.
