Maharashtra Mission Employees Demand Immediate Release of Pending Salaries

Employees working under the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) across Maharashtra have appealed to the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking immediate release of their pending salaries.

Around 1,600 contractual employees working in District Water and Sanitation Mission Cells under Zilla Parishads in all 34 districts have not been paid their salaries for the past four months.

The initiative has been led by Milind Bhosale, president of the Contractors’ Association. On Monday, in Solapur, a delegation from the State Water and Sanitation Action Committee, led by president Ramakant Gaikwad and executive president Sachin Jadhav, met Milind Bhosale to discuss the issue in detail.

Bhosale had earlier made efforts to ensure payment of two months’ pending salaries before Diwali, which met with partial success. However, despite funds being available at the state level, salaries have again been withheld due to what officials describe as “technical reasons”.

According to the association, the state government has approved a budgetary provision of Rs 10 crore for payment of salaries under this department. However, as the funds are yet to be formally transferred to the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, employees have not been paid from the available interim funds.

These employees have been working in a phased recruitment process since 2003. As per a government resolution dated November 1, 2012, District Water and Sanitation Mission Cells were established to implement programmes such as the National Drinking Water Programme and Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. Contractual staff at district and taluka levels have since been entrusted with defined responsibilities and performance targets.

Since the establishment of these mission cells, Maharashtra has consistently received recognition from the Central Government for its work in the water supply and sanitation sector. This success, the association says, is the result of nearly two decades of sustained efforts by these contractual employees.

However, the non-payment of salaries for four months has pushed many employees and their families into severe financial distress. Daily household expenses, loan repayments and basic livelihood have become difficult to manage. Several employees have reported that missed bank instalments have adversely affected their CIBIL credit scores.

Despite repeated follow-ups with the department, employees claim they have received no satisfactory response, leading to growing frustration and mental stress. Given the modest nature of their salaries, prolonged delays are feared to have long-term consequences on their personal and family lives.

Executive President Sachin Jadhav stated that a formal representation will soon be made to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to take a sympathetic view and ensure immediate disbursement of pending salaries.

Milind Bhosale also confirmed that he has contacted Siddheshwar Mokashi, Special Executive Officer at the Chief Minister’s Office. Mokashi assured that the matter regarding the non-payment of salaries to nearly 1,600 employees for the past three months would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, raising hopes of an early resolution.