AGARTALA, July 25 (TIWN): Even after completing of Fixed Pay service of five years, which was made compulsory through a Cabinet resolution of the state gov't , in the year 1998 when Manik Sarkar became the Chief Minister , 119 employees serving under different grant-in-aided schools are yet to get regular pay scale till July 2016. These employees completed their five years of Fixed Pay service from March 2015 to October 2015. As per the current rule of state gov't they are supposed to get the regular pay scale from the very next date of completion of five years of service . The main reason for this unexpected delay is learnt to have been a gross mistake done by the School Education Department officials. Finance Department earlier sent for some queries to be made before giving approval to sanction of regular pay scale to these employees. But a highly placed source in the Finance department told this correspondent on Saturday afternoon ," The queries as asked for for have not been submitted properly.

 As such the School Education is yet to satisfy the Finance Department regarding the issue of regularization of 119 employees of different gov't aided schools in Tripura." 

 In 2010 the then Director of School Education Department Hira Lal Chakraborty vide his MEMO No.F.15(1-50)-SE/GIA/10 dated 30/03/2010 said ," The Secretaries of School Managing Committee of the concerned schools are here by requested to advertise the vacancy position in local News paper inviting application from willing candidates. Selection should be made through interview . Panels of selected candidates may be brought to office of the undersigned for necessary approval.

This is issued as per approval of vide    U.No.239/MIN(SE)/10 dated 10/03/2010 and the posts are valid upto 31st March 2011."

 It is to be mentioned here that the Secretary of the School Managing Committee is the recruitment authority in the grant-in-aided schools. However, the appointment letters are issued to the candidates after taking approval from the Director of the School Education Department ( Grant-in-Aid Section). In the current case after getting the aforesaid MEMO from the Director Secretaries of 23 Schools (Grant-in-Aided) took initiative for the publication of  advertisement in local Newspaper for initiating the recruitment procedure in their concerned schools. And after the completion of interviews proposals for approval for the selected candidates were sent to the Director's office. After getting the  said  approval Secretaries of 23 grant-in-aided schools issued offer of appointment to  119 candidates. The schools include Netaji Subhas Vidyaniketan, Ishanchandra Nagar H S School, Belonia Vidyapith, Kailashahar , R K Vidyamandir, Sakhicharan Vidyaniketan , D N Vidyamandir, Golden Valley H S School, Kailasahar R K Sadan Pry School , Udaipur Ramesh H S School , Ranir Bazar Vidyamandir H S School etc. The category of employees includes Post Graduate Teacher, Graduate Teacher , UGT , LDC, Lab Technician, Library Assistant ,  Group D etc.

  A highly placed TIWN source in the Finance Department told this correspondent on Saturday," In the month of February Finance Department sent for some queries , which are mandatory before giving approval of regular pay scale. But School Education Department is yet to satisfy the Finance Department on this issue. Hence process is delayed. After much delay School Education Department sent replies to the queries vide NO.F.15(1-49)-SE/GIA/2016/2570 dated 17-03-2014  but these were incomplete and under the present circumstances regular pay scale can not be given. "

 It is to be mentioned here that as  per Rule 112 of the Constitution of Communist Party of India(Marxist) , appointment in Fixed Pay is nothing but a forcefully imposed exploitation upon the working class.  A Communist Govt cannot appoint unemployed  youths in fixed pay because this will only strengthen the very foundation of the capitalism.

 But in the year 1998 when Manik Sarkar became the Chief Minister , his gov't through a Cabinet resolution started recruiting in fixed pay for a compulsory tenure of five (5) years.  

 The fixed pay employees in their  tenure of five years as Fixed Pay are being deprived of five yearly increments of @3% each. Moreover, during these five years term the fixed pay employees do not get the essential benefits like GPF, HRA, CA and even Medical Allowance. They can't even open their General Provident Fund Account as well.  Even more humiliating is that when the state govt releases Dearness Allowances to its employees , the fixed pay employees are given mere Rs 38/- per 1% DA( Group C) and Rs 23/- per 1% DA to the Group D employees. 

  During the entire services life a state govt employee, who is appointed as Fixed Pay for five years( after which he gets regular pay scale) is suffering from huge financial loss. Loss for the Fixed Pay employees during their 5 years term  is shown  below:-

1) LDC/UGT/Work Assistant ..............Rs 39.75 lakh

2) Graduate Teacher ...........................Rs 52.5 lakh

3) Post Graduate Teacher ..................Rs 55 lakh.

 In 1982 the first LF Govt under Nripen Chakraborty appointed 200 teachers on fixed pay.  Getting a complaint from the then CPI-M Central Committee member Ajay Biswas ,  CPI(M) Central Committee leaders like Jyoti Basu and EMS Nambudripad instructed Nripen Chakraborty to immediately regularize the 200 employees appointed as fixed pay stating that such type of employment is against the Rule 112 of the Constitution of the Communist Party of India( Marxist) . Thus, with in two months of their recruitment Nripen Chakraborty was forced to regularize  them . After this during his entire tenure as Chief Minister Nripen Chakraborty and his LF Govt did not recruit any employee on fixed pay ( up to 1988).

 But under the rule of Manik Sarkar and his trusted but inefficient Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty the Fixed Pay are having a nightmare. Even after more than 10 months of completing their fixed pay service  these 119 employees of different grant-in-aided schools are not given their deserving financial right. Speaking to TIWN over phone  a former Secretary( unwilling to reveal his name) of a premier institute of grant-in-aided school told," This LF Govt is full of inefficient and incompetent personalities. They are unable to run administrative formalities properly. In this case also the employees are suffering simply because of the foolishness of the School Education Department led by its Minister. Under this current rate of inflation it is almost impossible for then to run their families with the met salary they are getting although they have completed their services satisfactorily. "

  It is also learnt that most of the current Secretaries of the School Managing committees of these schools are the party members of CPI-M, son of whom are even in District committee as well. So the selection of Secretaries is not dependent on quality but on how much they are puppets of the ruling CPI-M. As a result of which these Secretaries also don't know how to deal with such situations such as pursuing the gov't officials .

  A highly placed TIWN source informs on Sunday that most of  the employees are planning to go for a pen- strike as a symbol of protests unless they are given regular pay scale immediately. Thus, it is obvious that a chaotic situation will arise in these 23 schools soon due to the failure of School Education Department.

  Meanwhile a high official of School Education Department told TIWN an interesting fact. He said that a comrade official , who deals with the Grant-in-Aid Section is mainly responsible for the recent problems. It was in the year 2010 when the then Director of School Education Department Sahadeb Das took initiative to approve these appointments in the shortest possible time. Accordingly he was successful to fulfil these vacancies  which were lying vacant for many years. But during this time Comrade Debbarma did not act properly. Quite surprisingly , Debbarma did not even instructed the concerned school authorities to conduct police verification before those candidates joined their services. It was in March 2015 when one teacher of Ramesh School completed his 5 years tenure of fixed pay service , the case came to light of the Finance department. Immediately Finance Department instructed School Education Department to take steps in conducting police verification , then School Education department discovered that even the same was not done with the 119 employees as well. So in a hurry all the schools were advised to conduct police verification of all those 119 employees immediately. This took almost seven months. Thus, the entire process was delayed as Comrade Debbarma, who is one of the most trusted employees of CPI-M's Melarmath lobby , did not carry out the official procedures properly.

 When TIWN made contact with the Finance Department officials they revealed that the case of these 119 employees is being in ' put up ' situation. Unless the School Education Department satisfies with all the queries , it may take a long time to for these employees to get regular pay scale though already ten (10) months have already passed since the completion of five years of fixed pay service.