As the Diwali festival approaches, the anticipation and joy of Pune’s municipal employees have been tinged with uncertainty due to a delay in their Diwali bonus, originally slated for November 1.
The source of this apprehension stems from an inadvertent omission in processing bonus bills for municipal employees, leading to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s decision to reissue the bills. Consequently, the accumulated bonus, which should have been credited under the 7th Pay Commission, has yet to find its way into the accounts of the employees. The municipal administration has provided assurance that employees will receive their bonuses within the next eight days.
Initially, the Municipal Commissioner had announced that approximately eight thousand municipal employees would receive their Diwali bonus on November 1. In response, the municipal administration promptly initiated the necessary procedures. However, a discrepancy arose when the bills were prepared in accordance with the 6th Pay Commission, rather than the mandated 7th Pay Commission. This error resulted in a reduction of Rs. 10,000 to 15,000 in the expected bonus amount for the employees.
Recognizing this error at a later stage, the municipal administration has now initiated the process of reissuing the bonus bills to rectify the discrepancy. Ulka Kalaskar, the Chief Accountant of the Pune Municipal Corporation, confirmed, “Fresh bonus bills were issued last week to rectify the missed bills, although the process is running behind schedule. All employees will receive their bonuses within the next week.”
