For 25 years, Bandipora man serves Education Dept at Rs 25/month

Chaki Arsalan, Dec 18 : A 70-year-old man from Chaki Arsalaan Khan area of this occupied Kashmir district is serving the State Education Department on a monthly salary of Rs 25 for the past two decades.

 Muhammad Ramzan Wani has rendered the 25 year service at the Primary School at Chak-i-Arsalaan Khan (now a Middle school) on a monthly salary of Rs 25, which has been recently raised to Rs 50. Although Wani was promised that his services would be regularized, the promise is yet to be fulfilled.

 Wani was appointed as Sweeper-Cum–Chowkidar vide order No Accts/33-34, dated 04-04-1988 on a monthly salary of Rs 25 with the condition that the appointee will be responsible for watch and ward of the school.

 “I was made to work round-the-clock all these years. No leave was given to me. I had no time to take rest. I gave my life to looking after this school. In case any damage was reported in the school, my salary was stalled for months together,” he told Greater Kashmir.

“The officers then had promised to pay me by regularizing my service and enhancing my salary. But I am paid only Rs 25 a month. I had no option but to work as per their terms and conditions. In the present context, it is just exploitation,” he said.
 After Wani sought relief in 2007, he said the Education Department stopped paying him even Rs Rs. 25.

 However sometime later the salary was enhanced to Rs 50 in 2008 vide order No ZB/08/2861-62 Dated 07-01-2008 when the appointee approached then MLA for ‘justice’.

 “I lost my land, my property worth lakhs to the hollow promises of officials who forced me to work on the meager amount of Rs 25 a month,” he said. “I approached every officer in the Bandipora Zone and even at the Directorate level but nobody favoured me.”
 Wani says he has been the victim of official ‘apathy.’

 Meanwhile, Wani continues to clean the school and its toilets for the past four years without any payment. “Ramzan lost his property of walnut and poplar tress worth lakhs to fake promises and monthly salary of Rs 25,” said his neighbours.

 The plight came to light when Ramzan’s name was dropped in the list of sweepers and Chowkidars after it was sought by the Education Department.

 Zonal Education Officer Bandipora said the office has received Wani’s order from higher-ups.

 “We are paying such employees under the Contingent Paid Employees category,” he said.

“We have directed the concerned headmaster to release the pending emoluments of the Chowkidar at an earliest.”

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SA/EN