Kupwara, April 18 (KNS): Labourers working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the Mawer Qalamabad block of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have raised serious concerns over the delay in the release of their pending wages and material payments.
According to workers, payments for the months of December 2024 and January 2025 remain unpaid, despite repeated appeals and a lapse of over four months. The delay has caused significant distress among labourers, many of whom rely solely on this income for their survival.
Speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), several workers said they were forced to take loans to purchase construction materials and sustain their families, hoping timely payments would allow them to repay their debts. However, the continued delay has only deepened their financial woes.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
“We have no other source of income. Our hard-earned money has been withheld by the Rural Development Department (RDD) without any explanation. We are unable to make ends meet,” said one of the affected labourers.
The workers urged the administration to take immediate action, appealing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Director RDD Kashmir, and the Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara to intervene and ensure that all pending payments are released without further delay.
We are hopeful that the government will hear our voices and release our dues immediately,” another worker added. The aggrieved labourers have demanded that the payments be cleared within this month, stressing the urgency of their financial situation. (KNS)