PUDUCHERRY: With no salary for the past six months, Egambaram, a 51-year old employee, employed at Le Café restaurant which is run by Puducherry Tourism Department Corporation, allegedly died by suicide at his house on Saturday in Puducherry.
Tambaram is said to have taken the extreme step of hanging himself, as he was debt-ridden after the Corporation has not paid a salary to its employees for the past six months. Due to Covid-19, Le café was closed for the past six months and Egambaram found it difficult to pull on without salary as he was finding it difficult to provide for his family.
Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation Catering and Water Sports Employees Association has demanded that the Puducherry government and the PTDC administration pay compensation to the family of the PTDC employee who took the extreme step due to debt, forced by non-payment of salary. In a statement, Coordinators N Vijayaragavan and R Gajapathy urged the government and PTDC to immediately pay the outstanding six months' wages to the employees and prevent such recurrences.
If in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call 104 for health department’s helpline that offers counselling or 044- 24640050 for Sneha suicide helpline.
