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VREA appeals to put COLA arrears’ case in next Cabinet meeting

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 8/14/2012 12:49:17 AM

JAMMU, Aug 13: The leaders of J&K SRTC Volunteer Retirement Employees Association (VREA) today held a protest demonstration cum dharna at Press Club against the Finance Department and State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) management for not releasing their COLA arrears from January 2006 and demanded implementation of 6th Pay Commission from January 2006.
VREA President Dev Raj Bali and General Secretary Surinder Singh while addressing the media said, “However, in-service employees and fresh retired employees have been getting this benefit and only the 670 VRS employees have not been considered for this, even when they have sacrificed their prime youth in rendering their services to the J&K SRTC. These employees had been staging protest demonstrations and ‘dharnas’ for the last three years due to which their families have been suffering badly. We have been deceived by the SRTC management and have been struggling for more than three years now and the State government alongwith the latter are acting like mute spectators.”
The Association further alleged that the State government and the management of the (SRTC) were not releasing their due drawn bills, including the leave salary, gratuity, ex-gratia apart from the cost of living allowances and urged the government to intervene into the matter.
Meanwhile, the leaders appealed to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to probe into the scam through Vigilance so that the real culprits who had gobbled up Rs 22.50 crores could be brought to book and strict legal course of action could be initiated against them. They also appealed to the CM to put the case in the next cabinet meeting to mitigate the problems being faced by VREA.
Those who were present on the occasion included Balwinder Singh, D.N. Sharma, Sain Mohammad, B.V. Sharma, Asan Elahi, Surjit Singh, Gulshan Singh, Jasbir Singh and others.