Pensioners in Himachal protests non-payment of dues; warns to gherao Vidhan Sabha on March 30

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The North News

Shimla, March 17

Pensioners across the state on Monday staged protests against the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government over non-payment of their dues, following a call by the Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Joint Struggle Committee.

In Shimla, hundreds of pensioners staged a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office and raised slogans against the state government.

Addressing the protest, Additional General Secretary of the Committee Bhoop Ram Verma, said the dues of employees who retired between January 1, 2016, and 2022 are still pending. “Apart from this, several other dues of pensioners have also not yet been released by the government,” he said.

Despite multiple assurances by the government, no concrete action is being taken to meet their demands, which is very frustrating, he added.

Verma alleged that the state government was using the disasters and economic crisis as an excuse to postpone their dues.

He warned that the pensioners will intensify their movement if their demands are not met.

Addressing the protest in Solan, Baldev Singh Chaudhary, president of the Himachal Road Transport Retired Employees Welfare Forum, said the state government is continuously discriminating against pensioners.

He alleged that medical reimbursement of approximately Rs 50 crore and pensioners’ liabilities of approximately Rs 1,100 crore are still pending, while the government is leaving no stone unturned in increasing the allowances of its favourites and purchasing luxury vehicles.

DS Dhatwalia, senior vice president of the Himachal Pradesh Joint Struggle Committee, who addressed the protest in Hamirpur, said that the pensioners will march towards Shimla and will gherao the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on March 30 if the state government continues to ignore their demands.