The members of the Gram Police, better known as chowkiders and dafaders are not getting their allocated honorarium meant from the union parishads (UPs) when the concerned UPs cannot earn adequate money from the taxation heads as required. It has been throwing the employees in hard to run their families now a days, said some of the UP chowkiders and dafaders.
They said the government had fixed their allowance for Taka 8,000 a month while the government ensures Taka 3,600. The concern UP was advised to pay remaining Taka 4,400. But most of the UPs cannot afford the same to the low paid employees due to their financial constraints regular.
Some Shipon Biswas, a chowkider serving at Dhalaharachandra UP said he is been involved in collecting information about birth, death, social rivalry, suicide, distribution of VGF, VGD, elderly allowances, widow allowance etc. from each and every corner of his territory. They keep close contact with the UP chairman and ward members. Gram police also guards the UP complex once a week and attend the weekly meeting at local thana head quarters.
He said out of his total salary for Taka 8,000, he receives Taka 3,600 from the government at a regular basis, while remaining Taka 4,400 is uncertain as his UP cannot ensure the amount saying there was no adequate money in the official fund.
Dhalaharachandra UP chairman Matiar Rahman when contacted said the allowances for the Gram Police is usually paid from the fixed taxation head of the parishad. They need Taka at least 12 lakh a year while they hardly collect the tax for Taka five lakh. UP chairman said the figure of the tax could not be realized anymore as it is beyond the capacity of the rural people.
Here the remaining amount for the Gram police should be increased to ensure survival of the low paid employees. The UP chairman had urged upon the government to sanction remain amount form the government head for the Gram Police.
Deputy Director Local Government (DDLG) in Jhenaidah Yearul Islam when contacted said it is the responsibility of the said UP as per the government policy and decision. As every UPs do not have enough financial capacity, they cannot pay the remaining allowances in time. But they (UPs) have been paying the same gradually where no one of the staffs might be deprived anyway, DDLG said.