A senior Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer claims he hasn’t been getting his salary for the past 11 months. Balwant Singh is a Land Acquisition Officer for Amritsar and Gurdaspur. He also holds the additional charge of Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation. So, what went wrong with his pay? Blaming the Home Department for failing to release funds for his salary, Singh said he has been reduced to poverty. ‘‘An officer of my status is usually very well-off, but my predicament is worse than that of a beggar’s,’’ said the PCS officer, who has written a number of letters to the Finance Department to no avail. Government indifference, he alleged, has even jeopardised the future of his children, who had to discontinue studies for non-payment of fees.
