KHNAM ask govt to clear pending retirement dues to its employees

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 13, 2019

SHILLONG: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has demanded the state government to clear pending retirement dues to its employees. 

In a statement issued here on Thursday, president of the KHNAM state youth wing Thomas Passah informed that the party has received several complaints about the extraordinary delay in payment of dues by various government directorates/department to its employees after retirement. 

“We have been trying our best to ensure that these poor employees are given third rightful claims.But its times that the Government takes good care of its employee’s entitlement after retirement,” Passah said. 

According to him, retirement benefits like GPS is obviously the money that belongs to an employee, and there cannot be anything more serious that an employee not able to get back his own money, therefore we condemn this harassment in the strongest word possible. 

Stating that the retirement dues including pension is the fundamental rights of a retired employee within the purview of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, he however said but most of the authorities continue to cause constant harassment to poor retired employees which is really unfortunate and shameful. 

Public servants hold their offices in trust and are expected to perform with due diligence particularly so that their action or inaction may not cause any undue hardship and harassment to a common man and a government functionary cannot be allowed to act like a dictator. 

He said most with no help are left helpless at the merciful hands of the Government officials. Few of these cases, the retired employees are forced to seek justice from the court of law, wherein such act of harassment to retired employee have been termed as illegal including direction to state government to pay interest to the retired employee for delay in payment. 

The hardship and harassment faced by the retired government employee in the state with respect to their retirement benefits is enormous and sometimes goes unnoticed and the Government needs to ensure these suppression and humiliation is avoided. 

Meanwhile, Passah said the state government in its recently held cabinet meeting at Tura had approved The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act 2017 but how much this Act will bring relieve to these old retired government employee is still a suspense.