Can’t survive on Rs5,300 job, say Iraq victims’ kin

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 17

Families of 27 Iraq victims, who were killed in Mosul in 2014, today said the government had failed to keep the promise of paying them Rs 20,000 as allowances per month and jobs as per their abilities.

Families of the victims from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Batala and Dhuri addressed mediapersons here. They said contrary to the promises made by the government, only kin of six victims, three from Hoshiarpur and three from Jalandhar, had been given little-paying jobs of peon. Besides, many of them were not being paid Rs 20,000 for the past many months.

They added that Rs 5,300 per month was very less to sustain their families. They said though some of them were highly qualified, all were given the same job of a peon.

Amandeep Kaur from Khanke Fatehgarh village in Kartarpur, whose husband Kulwinder Singh was killed in Iraq, has received a peon’s job.

She said, “I am the only earning member in the family I have two children, whose school fee is Rs 3,000. We can’t even buy groceries from the remaining amount. The government made hefty promises, but now we have been left to fend for ourselves.”

Rakesh Kumar from Dhadda village in Jalandhar, son of Balwant Rai, who was killed in Mosul, said, “My brother Pawan Kumar has been given a job of Rs 5,300, which isn’t enough to sustain our family. Since February, we have not received the other allowance as well.”

While families from Jalandhar city and Amritsar hadn’t received the Rs 20,000 allowance since June, those from Phillaur tehsil hadn’t received their allowances since February.

The victims’ kin said they had met Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora and MP Santokh Chaudhary, but to no avail.

MP Santokh Singh said, “The matter hasn’t been brought to my notice so far. I will take it up with the DC tomorrow morning. The government made a commitment to the Iraq victims’ kin and will honour it. I will also take up the matter with the CM.”

Deputy Commissioner Varinder Sharma said, “In Jalandhar we have provided jobs to six families as the kin of the seventh victim could not be traced. During the three-year probation period these families will get Rs 8,300 as with any appointment. Later, their salaries will increase on regular basis. They haven’t received any salary so far. The amount of Rs 5,300 is a false claim. We have also paid them their allowances till August.”

The Tribune has a copy of the appointment letter that says they will get Rs 5,300 during the probation period.