As many as five thousand non-gazetted employees working in Srikakulam district have stepped up pressure on the government for the payment of 20 per cent House Rent Allowance at par with other districts, ahead of the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to the district on February 12.
APNGOs’ Association State president Chowdary Purushottam Naidu brought the issue to the notice of the Association State president P. Ashok Babu and suggested him to raise the issue mainly in APNGOs State Council Meet where Chief Minister would attend as a chief guest.
The employees of the districts are being paid only 14.5 per cent DA instead of 20 per cent DA as Srikakulam was classified under below 2 lakh population category.
In fact, the population of Srikakulam is over 2.5 lakh, but majority of the people come under villages technically with the delay in merger of Chapuram, Killipalem, Pedapadu and other panchayats with the Srikakulam municipality.
The government formally merged those villages in Srikakulam, but the panchayats went to courts opposing their inclusion in town saying that it would lead to loss of their own identity and taxes might increase in their areas.
Interestingly, colonies of Srikakulam such as Visakha-A Colony, Visakha-B Colony , Official Colony and Banker’s Colony come under the jurisdiction of villages due to legal tangle.
The employee, who live in those colonies pay higher rents due to their posh look, but the actual HRA is only 14.5 per cent.
“HRA is a long pending demand of the Srikakulam employees. Staff of Machilipatnam and Chittoor are also facing similar problem. I hope Chief Minister would resolve the issue and make all the employees happy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ashok Babu visited Sri Sivani College to review the arrangements for the State Meet. He urged the employees to make it as a grand success since it was scheduled for the first time in Srikakulam.
He asked the local leaders to come with thorough preparation to raise their issues in an effective manner.
