KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has approached the Supreme Court seeking an extension of six more months to clear 25 per cent of the outstanding dearness allowance (DA) owed to its employees. The six-week deadline set by the apex court to settle this portion of the dues expired on Friday.
In its application, the state government cited a severe financial crisis as the reason for its inability to pay the amount within the stipulated time. The government also filed a petition to review the interim order of the Supreme Court. In the application, it stated that it was ready to deposit 25 per cent of the outstanding DA directly with the apex court.
On 16 May, the Supreme Court had ordered the West Bengal government to clear 25 percent of the outstanding DA arrears from 2009 to 2019 within six weeks. With the deadline ending on 27 June, the matter is now set to be heard again in August.
During the earlier hearing, the state government informed the court that a total of Rs 41,871 crore was required to pay off the entire DA arrears. Clearing 25 percent of this amount would mean an immediate outflow of Rs 10,468 crore from the state exchequer.
At present, state government employees in West Bengal receive DA at the rate of 18 percent, whereas their counterparts in the central government receive 55 percent.
Reacting to the government's fresh application, Malay Mukherjee, General Secretary of the Confederation of State Government Employees, the main petitioner in the DA case, said, “We have sent a notice to the Chief Secretary after 12 midnight on Thursday, anticipating that the state government may take this step. The state government has been informed that we will file a contempt of court case against the state government in the Supreme Court in the coming days.”