FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has directed the Mormugao Municipal Council to settle pension arrears owed to a retired staff member from January 2016 to August 2017. Carmela Filomena Maria De Desterro Lobo, a resident of Marlem-Borda, Fatorda, lodged a complaint on December 13, 2022, asserting that the Mormugao municipal council had failed to disburse her pension arrears spanning 18 months.
The senior citizen, cited a Goa government order dated November 30, 2016, mandating the clearance of pension arrears by July 2017, in line with the 7th Pay Commission. Despite this, she had not received her pension arrears for the period from January 2016 to August 2017.
In response, Ramprasad Parab, the accountant representing the Mormugao civic body, explained that the delay in disbursing pension arrears to some pensioners was due to technical reasons. He assured that the issue would be addressed as a priority once funds became available. Parab acknowledged that the total amount of pension arrears owed to the complainant was Rs 73,575.
The two-member Commission, comprising acting chairperson judge Desmond D’Costa and judge Pramod Kamat, determined that the failure to pay the complainant's pension arrears from January 2016 to August 2017, under the pretext of fund unavailability, constituted a serious violation of her human rights. Consequently, they recommended that
the respondent promptly settle the arrears within the next 60 days, accompanied by simple interest at six per cent per annum from September 1, 2017, until the final payment.
