June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

KARACHI, June 11: Government employees on Wednesday were disappointed with 20 per cent increase in basic salary, which they feel would not help beat the monster of dearness.

Mr Tameem, a BS-1 employee, said that he had been drawing a gross salary of Rs7,000, which includes basic salary of Rs3,600 and the 20 per cent increase would raise his salary by Rs850-950 after adjustment of other allowances.

“Do you think it will soothe the burns inflicted by the unbridled inflation that has hit an all-time high depriving us to have proper three meals a day?” he asked.

He said that the new democratic government was expected to realise the gravity of economic deprivation of the middle and lower-middle income groups, who had been suffering the most at the hands of rising cost of living and finding it almost impossible to have their both ends meet in a decent way.

Shan-e-Haider, a lecturer in a government college, termed the salary-hike a peanut in view of 100-200 per cent increase in prices of essential commodities, particularly food items and said that it was absurd to expect any improvement in the living standard of the common man.

He thought that at least 100 per cent increase in gross salary should had be given so that the government employees might be able to retain the living standards they enjoyed a year back.

He said that he was astonished that the government did not announce a single administrative measure in the budget to eliminate hoarding and profiteering and improving the supplies of the commodities to bring down the prices to their actual levels.

Zaheeruddin, another government employee of BS-15, said that he could not expect any major relief after this meagre increase in salary but the situation would further aggravate because the post-budget price-hike was due in a couple of days.

He said that the likely increase in school fees and transportation charges owing to withdrawal of subsidies from oil and food to cut the budget deficit would certainly shrink the pockets of already hard-pressed salaried class.

He strongly demanded of the government to review its decision and revise salaries of the government employees upward keeping in view the inflation rate if it was serious to end the suffering of the government servants.