Docs appeal to CM as salaries withheld

Jaipur: Doctors and nursing staff at SMS Medical College and its attached hospitals have not received their Feb salaries after the district election officer directed that the salary bill be cleared only after verifying compliance with an election-duty information requirement for the upcoming panchayat elections.Salaries, usually paid on the 1st of each month, were held back after the district election officer ordered all state employees to submit an election-duty information form in a prescribed format and alleged that doctors did not provide the required information within the stipulated time despite reminders.
The officer then communicated to the treasurer and secretariat that the Feb salary bill should be passed only after examining an acknowledgment letter confirming the information submitted was complete, leading to the bill being withheld for those deemed non-compliant.In a letter received by SMS Medical College, the district election officer said failure to provide the information amounted to obstruction in election-related work and would be treated as serious administrative negligence. The letter said election work was a statutory responsibility and ensuring availability of personnel was the responsibility of the department or office concerned, citing the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Election) Rules, 1994, and State Election Commission directions requiring departments to provide information and cooperation for election work.Rajasthan Medical College Teachers' Association (RMCTA) opposed the salary withholding as unjust and disproportionate for essential service providers and said it has sought the chief minister's intervention.RMCTA president Dr Dheeraj Jeph said ECI exempts certain categories of personnel from being requisitioned for election duty due to the essential nature of their work. He said for the first time, doctors associated with SMS Medical College and attached hospitals were mandatorily required to fill the form.