Post News Network
Kendrapara, March 9: Believe it or not, a man here is struggling to live on a meagre salary of Rs 300 despite serving in the district agricultural office for over 30 years.
At this age of price rise and
spiraling inflation rate, Gangadhar Senapati, a gardener, in Balarampur village is finding it difficult to
manage his family of four for which he always had to face the ire of his wife. There are even days when the whole family has to go without food.
All his attempts to
regularise his service have gone in vain as the agricultural
officer was never keen on his request. He has filed a case in this regard in the labour court and has even approached the district collector, but his attempts have proved useless.
He has even gone on hunger strike
outside the district collectorate when the former collector ordered regularising his service which was defied by his superiors. “In his condition, it is better to end life than to live a life of hunger,” said Senapati with tears rolling down
from his eyes.
Sources said Senapati joined as a daily wage labourer in the district agricultural office in 1985 with a monthly salary of `300. However, that too was not even regular as he had to struggle hard to manage his family of his wife and two grown-up sons. After joining in the
office, he has served as a sweeper,
watchman and gardener.
He even worked beyond office hours in the residences of senior officers and did menial jobs like washing soiled
utensils and massaging officers to
regularise his job. However, nobody did anything to help him, except exploiting Senapati.
Having made efforts, Senapati apprised the district labour office in 1997 and filed a petition narrating his ordeal. The
district labour office
acting on his petition filed a case in the State labour tribunal which heard the matter and passed an order directing the district labour office to regularise Senapati’s job and approve his wage on the basis of Labour Act
May 28, 2005.
However, the district labour office is evading the issue and dilly-dallying on the implementation of the tribunal order.
The district labour office in retaliation filed a contempt of court proceeding against the district labour officer in the court of sub-divisional judicial
magistrate (SDJM).
When contacted, collector Pramod Kumar Das said he is not aware of the matter, but assured to initiate a probe and take steps on the issue.
District agricultural officer Subhendu Kumar Mohanty was unavailable for comment as his mobile phone was found switched off.