Kolkata, February 8: Members of the Joint Forum of West Bengal government employees took to the streets of Kolkata on Sunday, urging the Mamata Banerjee government to release the pending 25% Dearness Allowance (DA) as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Protesters marched from Subodh Mallick Square to Rani Rashmoni Road in central Kolkata. BJP MP Soumitra Khan joined the rally to show solidarity with the employees.
Demonstrators accused the state government of hesitating to pay the pending DA despite the Supreme Court’s order. Members of the forum claimed that no announcement regarding the DA has been made even after the court’s directive. Government employees have once again taken to the streets to ensure the government does not file a review petition against this order.
The forum’s coordinator, Ghosh, stated, “The government must comply with the court’s order. This DA will benefit not only the employees but also circulate in the market, increasing the value of labor. The entire cycle has broken down due to the state government’s failure to pay the pending DA.”
On February 5, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the media in the state assembly, saying, “The committee that made this decision included two Supreme Court judges and a member of the CAG, but there was no representative from the West Bengal government. Therefore, after considering this and consulting with lawyers, we have formed a committee under the Chief Secretary’s chairmanship. They will review this matter, and we will proceed according to their recommendations.”
The Supreme Court ordered the Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday to pay 25% of the DA due to state government employees by March 31.
The bench, comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, also directed the state government to form a four-member committee to decide on the remaining 75% of the DA. This bench had reserved its decision on the matter last August.
In an interim order issued on May 16 last year, the Supreme Court instructed the state government to pay 25% of the DA to its employees within three months. The Mamata Banerjee government later requested the Supreme Court to extend this deadline by six months, citing a lack of funds.