Gurgaon: National Health Mission (NHM) employees staged a protest at the civil surgeon’s office on Monday, demanding timely payment of salaries and clearance of pending allowances.The employees said salaries had been delayed repeatedly for nearly two years, forcing them to face financial difficulties and uncertainty over household expenses. They also alleged that despite funds being available, the issue of delayed salary payments had not been resolved permanently. Employees said they had repeatedly resorted to work suspension, demonstrations and submission of memorandums to get their salaries released.Ankit Kumar, an employee, said they were not protesting against any individual but wanted responsibility for the repeated delays to be fixed. “We want it to be made clear who is responsible for ensuring that NHM salaries are released on time, and accountability should be fixed for the delays,” he said.“Salary is eventually released after protests and representations, but the problem starts again after a few months. We need a permanent system to ensure payment every month on time,” another protester, Hari Raj, said.Employees also raised the issue of pending allowances. They said they had not received HRA benefits for nearly two years and DA arrears were also pending. Neelam Rani said the frequent delays were causing financial and mental stress among employees. “Our household expenses and other responsibilities do not stop because the salary is delayed. We should not have to protest every few months to receive our salary,” she said.Sangeeta said the employees were seeking a clear mechanism for timely salary disbursement. “The issue is not just about getting the salary after a delay. We want the department to ensure that this does not happen again,” she said.Mayank Goyal said the employees wanted the administration to identify the officials responsible for the delays. “If the budget is available, there should be no reason for employees to wait for their salaries. Someone has to be held accountable for the delay,” he said.They said the protest would continue until a permanent solution was found and accountability was established.
