A group of school teachers has opposed the government's "forcible" collection of five days' salary for the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMRDF) to support the rebuilding of landslide-affected areas in Wayanad on Saturday, August 24, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Kerala was gripped by panic on the morning of July 30 as news channels began broadcasting alarming reports of hundreds of people trapped in the mud, with many more missing or feared dead.
Although Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured that the contribution towards the disaster fund would be voluntary, the government order stated otherwise.
It was not in tandem with what the CM had stated, reported The New Indian Express.
The Kerala Pradesh School Teachers Association released a statement highlighting the details mentioned in the order.
"The government order stated that all state employees and teachers should donate their salary of not less than five days and that a letter of consent should be signed in this regard,” it stated.
It additionally said that the government order came when the teachers were yet to receive the 22% Dearness Allowance (equivalent to six days’ pay).
Meanwhile, the Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association (AHSTA) has claimed that the five days' salary is being collected through school heads responsible for disbursing salaries.
The calamity is one of the biggest tragedies the state has seen in recent years. At least 250 people died in the landslide. Unofficial estimates placed the death toll at a much higher number as scores remained missing a week after the calamity. An estimated 5,000 people have been affected.
