Guj panchayat polls mired in unequal pay controversy

A discrepancy related to government employees' payment for election duty during the gram panchayat elections has surfaced.

The state election commission had deployed around 1,367 employees on various duties for election of 56 gram panchayats in Kadi taluka on Sunday. These included 270 presiding officers, 810 polling officers and 287 peons. They were paid Rs100 less compared to employees deployed on duty in neighbouring talukas of Kalol and Bechraji.  

As per the rules, the employees are paid meeting allowance, daily allowance and food allowance. "We were paid only Rs100 towards food bill, while employees in other talukas were paid Rs200," said Kamlesh Suthar, an employee who was deployed as presiding officer. He said that they fail to understand why they were paid less and would bring it to the notice of the mamlatdar and other concerned officials.

Kadi taluka mamlatdar Amrut Patel, on the other hand, denied having any information about employees' payment and diverted the query to deputy mamlatdar PD Solanki. When contacted, Solanki said that he had taken signature on payment made to the employees. "We paid whatever we had paid during earlier elections and I don't have any idea of higher payment to employees in other talukas," said Solanki.