Protests, suicides mount as Telangana government fails to pay salaries, pending payments
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Telangana as the Congress government struggles to clear salaries, pensions, and contractor dues. The distress has led to suicides, protests, and widespread despair, even overshadowing the Bathukamma festival.
Hyderabad: The Congress government’s continuing inability to pay salaries and pensions and even clear pending bills of contractors and former sarpanches has created a humanitarian crisis across Telangana, driving many into despair and even suicide.
The situation has turned this festive season dull, with families across the State burdened with debt and grief, something never witnessed before in Telangana. The government’s apathy has left several sections, from outsourcing staff to home guards, guest lecturers and retired employees to former sarpanches, with no option but to protest or resort to extreme steps. Even contractors and builders, unpaid for months, have attempted suicide.
Employees on contract and outsourcing rolls have remained unpaid for three to four months in departments such as Mission Bhagiratha, Panchayat Raj and sanitation wings in panchayats. Left without wages, many are unable to survive. Two days ago, a striking Mission Bhagiratha staffer ended his life. Protests have spilled from district headquarters and collectors’ offices to the State Secretariat, yet the government remains unmoved.
Retired staff too are suffering. Pensions and benefits are delayed indefinitely, forcing the elderly to run from pillar to post. A retired teacher, Chiluvuru Satyanarayana of Abdulapurmet in Sangareddy, spent five months chasing his dues before leaving home in despair on June 23 under pressure from lenders. Three months on, his family still has no information about his whereabouts.
Former sarpanches, denied settlement of bills since the Congress came to power, are facing humiliation after borrowing from private lenders. Some have taken their own lives. “This reflects the state of affairs in Telangana. Despite former sarpanches taking extreme steps, the government is unmoved,” a Telangana Sarpanches Association member said.
Bathukamma ignored
Even the State festival Bathukamma has been neglected. The State government, even after issuing instructions to panchayat secretaries to make arrangements, has not released funds. Panchayat secretaries, already struggling, are now expected to bear additional expenses for lights, ghats, sanitation and even disinfectant spraying.
“In the past, depending on the size of the village, each panchayat received Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh for festival arrangements. This year, not a single rupee has been released,” a Panchayat Secretaries Association member said, adding that even their festival has now been overshadowed by despair.
