The elections, however, have proved to be a curse for two Ludhiana Municipal Corporation employees. 'Informally' sent to Mansa, they died on April 29 while cleaning sewers. Mansa is a small town in Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency from where Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Akali Dal President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, is seeking election.

Known for its non-governance and lazy functioning, the Parkash Singh Badal-led government has acted with lightning speed to initiate and complete, within less than a fortnight, all the formalities required for implementing the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. The implementation of the recommendations will cost the state's virtually bankrupt exchequer an additional Rs.2700 crore a year besides Rs.5000 crore of arrears which will become payable to the employees.

The Pay Commission was set up in December 2006 by the Capt. Amarinder Singh-led Congress government which was succeeded by the Parkash Singh Badal-led ministry after the 2007 Assembly elections. After some extensions with the last deadline of March 31, the Commission submitted its report to the government in the second week of April. The Election Commission gave its approval on April 25 for placing the report before the cabinet for a final decision. The government set up the same day a high-level officers Implementation Committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to submit its report within two weeks after detailed deliberations with the affected departments. Showing extraordinary speed, the committee approved the entire Pay Commission report on April 29.

As the cabinet had already decided to implement the recommendations in toto, the government may issue the notification anytime now. It has stated that the employees will start getting enhanced emoluments from June when the Assembly passed the budget. In the last budget session, only budget on account was passed.

The ruling alliance's electoral compulsions have, however, proved costly for the Akali-BJP controlled Ludhiana Municipal Corporation's two low-paid employees Tarsem and Ram Parkash. Sent allegedly on 'loan', to Mansa they died on April 29 while cleaning sewers. Here also the authorities embarrassed by their unathorised action of sending them to Mansa and obviously goaded by the powers that be, worked with lightning speed and paid Rs.2 lakh as compensation to the families of the deceased within 24 hours. They also committed in writing that jobs would be provided to the kin of the two deceased. Reports say that there is no provision in rules to 'loan' employees of one municipal body to another; nor have the Ludhiana Corporation or Mansa authorities owned responsibility for the 'deputation' of the two employees to Mansa.

A section of Ludhiana Corporation employees have bemoaned that no such compensation was ever paid to the Corporation employees who earlier died 'on duty', not to speak of paying the compensation within 24 hours.

The Safai Karamchari Union has demanded payment of such compensation for the heir of those employees who had died on duty in Ludhiana.(IPA)