North Zone teaching, non-teaching staff yet to get January salary

Team Herald

Mapusa: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) members held a protest outside the Directorate of Education building in Porvorim on Monday to highlight the failure of the Government in releasing salaries of primary teaching and non-teaching Staff of North Goa Zone and Central Zone.

During the protest, the GPCC members demanded that they be allowed to meet the Director of Education, Vandana Rao. Initially Police inspector Nolasco Raposo the officer in charge on duty denied them entry. Later after making a request to DySP Colaco, a delegation of 10 members met the Director in her chamber. 

During the meeting, the GPCC brought to the notice of the director that salaries of the primary schools teaching and non-teaching staff for January were not released till date and asked her the reason for the delay.

Rao said that since there were no enough funds, the department was awaiting for the funds and said salaries will be released in next two days. 

The delegation said that since the salaries were not released on time, people who had taken loans for housing, car or education have failed to pay their monthly instalments due to which they will also have to pay the penalty. 

Responding to this Rao informed that she will look into such cases and will take the required steps.

Earlier, as Rao had asked the delegation to get out of her chamber, the delegation got angry and demanded an apology from the director for the same.

However, when Rao failed to apology, GPCC members agitated outside the chamber of Director for almost an hour till a police force was deployed to the spot who dragged the GPCC members out of the building. However, the GPCC members continued to agitate and said until the director does not apology, they will not leave.

Adv Pratima Coutinho said,”Around 200 police staff were deployed. We were polite and maintained discipline but still she disrespected us. We were fighting for justice since people are suffering. We are not going to stop. We condemn this act of her’s. She has to say sorry to us. We will agitate until she apologises”.