Mamata seeks early recommendation of Pay Commission for govt employees

Kolkata, Jun.26 (HS): In a seemingly desperate bid to win the whole hearted support of state government employees after receiving a major blow during the Lok Sabha elections, Chief minister Mamata Banerjee here today hinted the possibility of a hike in their salary structure within three months.

Making her first appearance on the third day of the Monsoon session of West Bengal Legislative Assembly here this afternoon, Chief minister in a bid to satisfy the long pending demands of thousands of state government employees, informed the house that though the Pay Commission had requested for an extension of seven months for announcing its recommendation of any pay hike, she had directed them to submit the report within the next three months only and that too before Durga Puja.

‘The Commision sought time till December this year for its recommendations, but I have asked them to submit it within the next three months’, she said amid thumping of desks by party legislators.

Though it is not yet known whether there would be any substantial hike in their pay scales, which is far less than their counterparts in the Central government offices, the political observers here feel that after experiencing a huge drubbing in the hands of a vast majority of government employees in the last months elections on this issue, the Chief minister has now given her top most priority to  provide them some financial relief before the Puja.

Further turning her attention to the demands of state police force, a section of which has also reportedly turned down their support to the ruling party and its leaders, the Chief minister said she was aware that  they had been working under tremendous pressure and had not been availing their leave.

Keeping this in mind she, a police minister also, had decided to grant an additional payment of one month for them.

It may be recalled that today’s announcement for additional payment to police personnel has come after they were severely criticized by the Chief minister herself at several meeting blaming therm for allegedly taking sides with the opposition and not listening to the ruling party leaders and workers as desired.