Security guards facing insecure future
The private security personnel deputed for the security at various health institutions in Srinagar are facing an insure future. These guards are not only deprived of minimum wages, but these wages are also not released to them for months together.
Muhammad Ashraf Khan, hailing from Beerwa, who is deputed for the security at the entrance of Mental Diseases Institute, Rainawari said that for the last many months now they have not been provided any wages.
“Whatever meagre wages are being provided to us, we used to manage our affairs. But from last many months we have even been deprived of these wages too,” said Khan.
“Our basic salary is 4600 and after some deductions we get around 4000 Rupees a month. However, from the last six months we have been deprived of even these wages,” he said.
Ashraf, is working as a private security personnel from last three years and according to him he never got his salary on time.
“This has been the routine, we are given salary after five-six months, which is not justifiable,” he said adding that even on Eid-ul-Fitr they were not given the salary, “now, another Eid is approaching and we stand deprived of our salary.”
Pertinently, maintenance of security at the hospitals has been outsourced by the government to various private security agencies.
At the Mental Disease Institute, Iqra Securities is providing its personnel to keep a watch and ward of the premises. Apart from Mental Diseases Hospital, Rainawari, the agency is providing security at GB Panth Hospital, Sonwar as well. The employees there too complain about denial of basic wages and delay in disbursing these wages.
Ironically, many private security guards have been forced to borrow money from their friends and relatives to make their ends meet and have plunged deep in debt.
“I have been continuously borrowing money from people. I have to feed my family as I cannot let them die,” says a private security personnel, wishing not to be named.
While this reporter was taking to him, his son who had gone to school came looking for his father.
“See my son, he had gone to school and he must have been shown the door today as I have not been able to pay his dues at school,” he said, adding that the situation is really bad.
When this reporter contacted the officials of the security company, they too seemed to be helpless, struggling to get their dues released from the Health Department.
Muhammad Anwar, Managing Director of the company, while talking to Kashmir Vision said that the company is trying hard to get the salary of their employees released from the government.
While explaining the process of funds reimbursement, he said “out of budget the government releases funds, as salary to the company account and after receiving the funds, we release their salaries,” he said, adding that for the last six months they have not received the funds, thus are unable to release their salaries.
The MD of the company said that many a times we have released their salaries on our own, keeping in mind that the employees should not suffer, “but right now we cannot do anything, however, we are in touch with the government, and hopefully before Eid they will get their dues.”
The concerned Medical Superintendents out rightly said that they have got nothing to do with it and it is the matter between the company and the health department.
KV Correspondent
