Government school teachers deployed for drug census duties in Ludhiana East are still waiting for their full remuneration nearly two months after completing the work, with only partial payments released so far. The teachers, who were assigned the duties by the Ludhiana East office, said they completed the survey on August 2 but had received only a fraction of the promised amount.
Amandeep Singh, a member of the Government Teachers’ Union, said, “We started performing our duties in June and were paid only up to July 5 initially, with 10% deducted. We completed the work on August 2, but the remaining payment has still not arrived.”
According to the teachers, they were promised ₹250 per survey, taking the total expected payment to around ₹62,500. However, only about ₹10,000 has been credited so far.
Rakesh Kumar, another teacher, claimed that teachers deployed in other constituencies had already received their full payments and alleged that the delay was limited to the Sahnewal constituency.
Singh said the teachers had approached the deputy commissioner last week and met additional deputy commissioner (general) Shikha Bhagat two days ago to raise the issue. Following the meeting, some teachers received payments covering their work only up to July 20.
“We do not understand why the payment was delayed in the first place, why only some teachers are receiving it, and why the amount is being released only up to a particular date. We want our full dues,” Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}“We do not understand why the payment was delayed in the first place, why only some teachers are receiving it, and why the amount is being released only up to a particular date. We want our full dues,” Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, Bhagat said she had discussed the matter with subdivisional magistrate (east) Jasleen Kaur Bhullar on the day the teachers approached her. She was informed that the payment had been sent to the bank and would be disbursed through it.
Despite repeated attempts, Bhullar was unavailable for a comment.