Loco running staff affiliated to Southern Railway Masdoor Union on Monday staged a demonstration demanding to increase kilometre allowance for the railway running crew.
Speaking on the occasion, SRMU divisional secretary J. M. Rafi said that 7th Pay Commission recommendations stipulated that when dearness allowance reached 50%, travel allowance (TA) and kilometre allowance (KMA) should be increased proportionately. However, only TA was increased, while KMA has not yet been revised. This has caused great disappointment among running staff.
With the government ordering to form the 8th Pay Commission, SRMU has been continuously insisting that KMA should be increased by at least 25% immediately, said its assistant divisional secretary V. Ramkumar.
While in all Central Government departments, TA is exempted from income tax, income tax is still deducted from the KMA of running staff. Increasing the income tax exemption limit for the running staff category had been a long-standing demand, he said.
Protesting against the continued neglect by the Union Government, SRMU observed an “all India protest day” on Monday.
