Chandigarh: PGI Faculty Seeks Restoration of Conveyance Allowance

Expressing anguish over the discontinuation of conveyance allowance, the faculty at the premier Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI Chandigarh) has now moved the hospital administration seeking restoration of the conveyance allowance as mandated under the 7th pay commission.

The administration at PGI had stopped paying conveyance fee to its faculty in the year 2018 despite the fact that the seventh pay commission report made it clear that the conveyance allowance should be paid to doctors. Moreover, the faculty association has alleged that no notification to this effect was issued.

As per the 7th Pay Commission, the doctors are entitled to conveyance allowance for visiting hospitals and dispensaries beyond their normal duty hours as well as making domiciliary (private dwelling under authority) visits. The amount is paid to the doctors who use their own vehicles.

The slab is mentioned as below:

• 201-300 km - Rs 1680
• 301-450 km - Rs 2520
• 451-600 km - Rs 2980
• 601-800 km - Rs 3646
• >800 km - Rs 4500

In the letter, the faculty association has asked the PGI Chandigarh administration that the conveyance allowance be immediately restored as "is being done for faculty members at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi," quotes HT.

Speaking to the daily about the move, President of the faculty association, Dr. JS Thakur, said, "Arbitrarily discontinuing the allowance is unjustified and rates recommended on the basis of average monthly travel are not practical. Also, maintenance of a log book is not feasible because of the enormous burden of work and multiple visits made by the faculty to facilitate patient care services each day," he said.

Financial adviser of the faculty association, Kumar Abhay, said they were following orders of the government of India and the hospital administration. "We cannot grant or stop any allowance on our own," Kumar Abhay said.

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After the matter reached the management, the authorities constituted a committee to peruse the issue. Informing about the development, Deputy director (administration), Kumar Gaurav Dhawan (IRS), informed HT that during a recent meeting with the faculty association, a committee headed by dean academics Dr. A Rajwanshi has been constituted to look into the issue. "Once the report is submitted, the recommendations will be looked into," he said.

Earlier, the PGI employees union had filed a petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) seeking revocation of the order by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had directed the institute to desist from paying a bonus for 2018-19 to its employees and to initiate the recovery of the amounts already paid in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18. The medical college was further ordered to furnish a compliance report to the ministry.

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