50 Months, No Salary: JDA Employees Urge Govt to Resolve Crisis

 Employees of the Jagiroad Development Authority (JDA) have reportedly not received their salaries for nearly 50 months after financial support from the Government of Assam was stopped in 2016, leaving several staff members facing serious financial hardship.
The development authority, which was established in 1989 under the Assam Town and Country Planning Act, 1959, is responsible for regulating planned urban development in Jagiroad. Its functions include preparing development plans, issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for building construction, and overseeing land use and infrastructure development in the town.
According to reports, the state government discontinued financial assistance to the authority in 2016. Since then, the organisation has struggled to generate sufficient revenue to pay its employees regularly. Officials said the authority largely depends on fees collected from issuing NOCs and other administrative services, which are not enough to meet operational expenses and salary payments.
Employees said they have repeatedly submitted memoranda to the government requesting intervention and the release of pending salaries. However, the issue remains unresolved, forcing many staff members to continue working without regular pay for years.
The problem has also been linked to structural changes following the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which strengthened the role of urban local bodies such as municipalities. As a result, several areas previously under development authorities were transferred to municipal jurisdictions, reducing the revenue sources of such authorities.
Staff members have urged the state government and the Urban Development Department to take immediate steps to address the crisis and ensure the payment of pending salaries. They also called for a sustainable financial mechanism to support development authorities so that similar situations do not arise in the future.
The issue has drawn attention to the financial challenges faced by several development authorities across Assam, many of which rely heavily on government funding and limited local revenue to sustain their operations.