Rawalpindi : The situation in Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation is once again taking a negative turn as far as financial position is concerned which has started to obtain due to non release of funds by the federal government.
Due to non release of annual funds, the management has been unable to pay salaries to its security staff for more than 4 months and other employees 2 months. Already, 12 to 14 months salaries of regular and other employees are due.
The non payment of monthly salaries has started to create tension and chaos among the employees particularly serving in lower grades who were seen even highly perturbed.
The present situation of financial constraints erupting again reminds every employee about the severe economic crunch due to one reason or another PTDC had faced some five years back. Due to this factor, the management had been able to pay salaries to all its staff members for more than two years .
The employees on anonymity condition said that financial crunch have once started to occur in PTDC only because of non release of annual grant by the federal government. As we have not received our salaries of two months, we are facing hardships to meet our expenditure at home including payments of school/college fees, clearance of house rents, utility bills and to purchase ration for our children.
According to them, the government has many big plans to launch mega projects for promoting tourism in the country, however, it is showing total indifference and ignorance to release funds to PTDC. As a result the management has been unable to pay our monthly emoluments over the last four months, they claimed.
Besides this, the union representatives of PTDC, Mohammad Ramazan along with other office bearers expressed deep concern over the non release of annual grant by the federal government to this tourism department.
The union members were all praise to previous managing directors, Chaudhry Kabir Ali Wasti and Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan as with their efforts and effective as well as practical measures the PTDC had been able to overcome financial crunch which it once faced some six years back. However, after the departure of managing director, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan, things have started to reoccur again which is not good for a department like PTDC which is considered a backbone to generate huge revenue for the government.
The employees along with the union members have made a strong appeal to the Prime Minister, Imran Khan as well as Finance Minister, Asad Omar to take immediate notice of the financial constraints PTDC is facing and direct the concerned ministry to release annual grant around Rs180 millions to this department as it would help the management to pay monthly salaries to its staff members on monthly basis and without any problem.
