West Bengal govt's absentee employees in Darjeeling hills to face pay cut

Kolkata: The West Bengal government employees in Darjeeling hills, who failed to attend to their regular duties owing to the indefinite shutdown by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), will face pay cut.

The finance department has also decided to send showcause notices to them and the employees will be required to explain the reason of their absence, sources in the state secretariat said today.

The showcause notices would ask the employees who absented from their work during the agitation to explain as to no action be taken against them for their unauthorised absence.

Those who do not respond to the showcause notice would be liable to disciplinary actions, the sources said.

Incidentally, soon after GJM had called the indefinite bandh from June 12, the Mamata Banerjee government had issued a notification stating that government offices situated in Darjeeling and 
Kalimpong will remain open and all employees should report for duty each day.

The absence of employees on that day will be treated as 'dies non' which will constitute a break in service of the employee and no salary will be admissible unless such absence is covered under permissible grounds, the notification issued by the state government had stated.