Protest by PHE temporary workers’ body in Kokrajhar over pending honorarium of 'Jalmitras'

The All Assam Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department Temporary Workers’ Association staged a protest at the office premises of the BTC Director of Public Health Engineering in Kokrajhar, demanding immediate release of pending honorarium dues of Jalmitras.

Jalmitras from all five districts under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) participated in the demonstration. 

The protesters alleged that Jalmitras working in the Sixth Schedule areas of the BTR have not received their honorarium since May last year, leaving many in financial distress.

The association stated that with the upcoming Doul festival and the holy month of Ramadan approaching, it is imperative that the pending payments be cleared without further delay.

In this connection, the Kokrajhar district committee of the association had earlier submitted a memorandum to BTC Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary, urging him to intervene and ensure disbursement of the dues. However, the association claimed that despite repeated appeals, Jalmitras have not received their pending honorarium for the past 12 to 14 months.

The district committee has now called upon Assam PHE Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah and BTC Executive Member Akhtara Begum to take urgent steps to resolve the matter and release the outstanding payments at the earliest.

Speaking to the media, district secretary Asom Ray reiterated that the continued delay has severely affected the livelihood of Jalmitras and warned that stronger agitation may follow if their demands are not addressed promptly.