By Shafiq Mir, NAK,
Rajouri: Rajouri labor union alleged that the officials of Rural Development Department Rajouri were demanding commission from them for the payment of the amount they have worked for under NREGA scheme. The union has lodged a complaint with labor officer Rajouri saying that they have not been paid a single penny for the past eight months under the NREGA scheme they had worked.
Sources said, nearly a dozen job card holders of Thanamandi block in border district Rajouri have lodged a complaint with labour officer that the officials of the rural development Rajouri have stopped their wages for the past eight months because the laborers didn’t pay the amount demanded by the officials as commission. Labor officer Rajouri, Abdul Rashid confirmed that his office has received such complaints from Thanamandi block and the matter was being investigated.
President Labor union Rajouri, Zahoor Ahmed said that about one dozen laborers who had worked under NREGA scheme in Baglan village in the month of January 2009 have not been paid a single penny by the department so far. Reason he cited , the officials of the department were demanding commission from them and when the laborers refused to pay the commission the officials delayed their payments saying that the grant was not with them Zahoor said , many times he took up the matter with assistant commissioner development Rajouri but he gave deaf ear to the issue .
Though the officials of the department refused to have made any such demand but agreed that some areas couldn’t be paid so far due to the financial constraints, However, the officials said that there is a nexus between the officials of the rural development and the ‘ Job Card Holders’.
They say , in fact , due to the low wages rate of Rs 70 per day fixed under the NREGA scheme couldn’t attract the laborers and no one turned for work thus the scheme was near to fail and the officials of the department conceived a unique idea. Sources said, then the officials, asked the laborers that they will be given two days wages for one day work but they (Laborers) will have to pay 50% of the extra day wages being given to them.
This idea worked and the labor came for work. However, the matter turns ugly some time when the laborers refuse to pay the commission of the extra day amount they are paid. The official sources said, similar case was that which has come to light from Thanamandi block and the laborers have reached to labour office Rajouri. He said these unions are also in nexus with the officials of the department and both are involved in the scandal involving crores of rupees.