No salary for 3 yrs, sweeper dies in want for treatment

JHARKHAND’S CIVIC BODY MADA IS SAID TO BE THE RICHEST LOCAL BODIES OF UNDIVIDED BIHAR AND HAS ASSETS OF OVER ₹1,000 CRORE

The non-payment of salary to the lower-level employees for three years claimed the life of another employee of one of Jharkhand’s civic bodies when a sweeper died after he could not afford his medical treatment.

Six employees, mostly sweepers employed with MADA, have died in last six months during their service tenure and all the deaths were allegedly caused due to the family’s inability to meet the treatment expenses. Interestingly, the authority ordered for release of five months arrear along with ₹10,000 to each family for performing the last rites whenever a death occurred.

Set up in 1914, MADA is said to be the richest civic body of undivided Bihar and has assets of over ₹1,000 crore.

Having 1,100 employees on its roll, MADA failed to make timely disbursement of salaries of last three years.

Sweeper Narayan Halkhor, posted at MADA’s Barari office, died two months prior to his retirement. Ailing for the last three months, he left behind his daughter who performed his last rite. “How can we afford medicines if managing a square meal is a daunting task,” said Halkhor’s 24-year old daughter Anjana Kumari, whose mother had died two-year ago.

She claimed that the non-payment of her father’s salary virtually pushed the family to live in poverty.

“My father fell into grip of several diseases three months back. Despite repeated requests, MADA didn’t release the arrears,” she said.

Khanij Pradhikar Karamchari Sangh (KPKS) held the management responsible for death of Halkhor. KPKS general secretary Prem Tiwary alleged that there is no dearth of fund in organization. The management is intentionally creating crisis to cover irregularities and mismanagement. “Let alone retired staffs even regular employees are dying every month in penury but it failed to cut an ice with the management,” said Prem Tiwary.

MADA’s managing director Shashidhar Mandal ordered immediate payment of fivemonth salary along with ₹10,000 to Halkhor’s daughter.

Mandal said that since all income sources were closed by state government 10 years ago, the organization fell in dire strait. New income sources (1) Land Use Tax and (2) Market Fee were generated. But issue of Land use Tax ( ₹15,000 crores) is pending in Supreme Court and matter of Market Fee is in Ranchi High Court.

MADA official Ajay Kumar said that the management has been trying to disburse salary every month.

“Even, one month’s salary of March 2014 was disbursed to the employees on March 4 this year,” he said.