“It is a decades old practice of the Jammu & Kashmir Government that cash flow is unprecedentedly increased on the occasions of Eid Ul Fitr and Eid Ul Adha for the purposes of the release of even advance salaries to Government employees and payments to contractors and suppliers”.
Against the expectations of contractors and Government employees the reduced cash flow just ahead of the upcoming Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr at the Government treasuries has pushed people into a state of chaos, confusion and anxiety across Kashmir. Though it is a decades old practice of the Jammu & Kashmir Government that cash flow is unprecedentedly increased on the occasions of Eid Ul Fitr and Eid Ul Adha for the purposes of the release of even advance salaries to Government employees and payments to contractors and suppliers but with hardly few days left for commencement of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr celebration allegations are galore that bills are pending in the treasuries for release of payments but are not cleared due to shortage of cash at the Government treasuries across Kashmir. Notably the contractors Monday this week protested outside the office of District Treasury Officer Budgam against unprecedented delay in the release of the payments overdue to them for a long time and reports coming from various districts also indicate that employees too are not sure about the release of their salaries before Eid Ul Fitr whoch otherwise also due to them in the first week of April year. Though the payments for the works completed by the contractors should have been cleared by March end to keep up the decade old practice of clearing all pending payments before the financial year end closing but unfortunately despite the completion of all the formalities for release of payment the payments are not released obviously due to cash crunch at the treasuries across Kashmir. Had there been any issue with the finalisation of the bills submitted at the treasuries, the contractors and suppliers would have pursued the matters vehemently and ensured clearance of all bottlenecks for the purposes of the release of their pending payments before March end.
“The deepening concerns of the contractors, suppliers and Government employees over the reduced cash flow in view of the occasions of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr and funds lapse issues deserve and demand immediate attention and intervention of both the Chief Secretary and as well as Principal Secretary Finance for the purposes of hassle free disbursement of payments at Government treasuries before the commencement of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr celebrations in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.”
Not only the contractors but the Government employees and all others who have issues with the release of the Government payment are for right reasons deeply concerned over the delay in the payments at the Government treasuries as few days are now left for occasions of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr and moreover apprehensions over the probabilities of funds getting lapsed are also there for the very right reasons. The deepening concerns of the contractors, suppliers and Government employees over the reduced cash flow in view of the occasions of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr and funds lapse issues deserve and demand immediate attention and intervention of both the Chief Secretary and as well as Principal Secretary Finance for the purposes of hassle free disbursement of payments at Government treasuries before the commencement of Jumat-Ul-Vida, Shab-e-Qadr and Eid Ul Fitr celebrations in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.
