All the eight members comprising the administrative staff of the Goa State Police Complaints Authority -- the body which looks into the way police function -- are working without any remuneration for almost 13 months, even as their annual contract is awaiting renewal.
PANAJI
The SPCA, an independent body which ensures police accountability, was set up in Goa in April 2007 in fulfillment of the Supreme Court judgment of September 2006 in the Prakash Singh case.
The SC directive, which mandated the setting up of SPCA in all states and union territories, also laid down its composition to ensure that members appointed would by and large be independent-minded individuals who would go about their work without fear or favour.
However, with the renewal of their contract and payment of salaries pending since May 2016 each of the eight administrative staff members of Goa’s SPCA enter the office each morning fearing for the loss of their employment.
The eight-member administrative staff includes one superintendent, one stenographer, three clerks and three peons. Of these, four are men and four are women with a range of work experience from three to eight years and the monthly salaries of these employees vary from Rs 17,500 to Rs 22,000.
Irregular payment of salaries has plagued the staff even prior to 2016 and receipt of accumulated lump-sum payment of salaries has been the norm. Non-renewal of contract has rendered the situation unbearable for the employees.
Sources informed that the proposal for renewal of contract for 2016-17 was forwarded to the Home Department in February 2016. While the authorities await sanction to the previous proposal, the process for renewal of the contract for the year 2017-18 is yet to be initiated.
SPCA chairman, his personal assistant and two members appointed to the authority have longer and separate terms of contract and as a result they receive their salaries regularly. It is learnt that the staff is mulling over approaching the home secretary to seek redressal of their grievances.
