Demand for Employment Under Die in Harness Scheme

Imphal, September 10: All Manipur PHED (public health engineering department) Workers and Employees’ Association  has demanded to provide employment to the next of kin of deceased employees, under die in harness scheme.

Complains made since 17 years from now have not been listened by the department. So far the department has provided employment to 197 families of the deceased employees and 40 of them are still denied saying that the government order dated January 11, 1999 prohibits them, said a statement today made by the association.

It is not acceptable that when some are given suitable employment while some are not. The 1999 order says if there is superannuation or termination of services of the employees the post will be abolished. But it does’t mention that employment cannot be provided under die in harness scheme. The PHE department should properly understand what the 1999 order says, said S. Samungou, president of the employees’s association.

The Work Study Committee formed in 1999 had recommended 1, 434 scheme programmes so far till 2000. The required employees is 3, 550. However there are only 2, 379 employees in the department. The government should recommend to employ the required manpower as par the Essential ServiceMaintenance Act, 1984, added Samungou.

Samungou also pointed out that the safe drinking water is no more safe in the state. He cited that the Melakhong Maril water supply is supplying contaminated water. Waters which are drained down from the paddy field are pumped into in the storage tank. One can imagine that insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilsers are used in paddy fields, and water drained out from such fields are procured to provide safe drinking water, said Samungou.

He said, one can see leaked water supply pipes in many locations. This is another failure of the department and sign of having less manpower in the department, added Samungou.

He said the maintenance of tape water supply is maintained by village committees. How can village committee work for water supply? If there is any shortage of staff the department should recruit the required staff and employ kin to the deceased employees, added Samungou.