Munish Sood
MANDI:
The Himachal Pradesh Pensioners’ Joint Struggle Committee has warned of a state-wide protest during the upcoming winter session of the Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala if the state government fails to address their long-pending demands within a week.
The warning came during the committee’s state-level meeting held at the Vishwakarma Temple in Mandi under the chairmanship of Suresh Thakur, where representatives from 18 different pensioners’ organisations participated. The meeting saw active discussions on the financial and administrative neglect faced by thousands of retired employees across various government departments, boards, and corporations.
District convenor Hem Singh Thakur welcomed delegates from all districts, while Inder Pal Sharma conducted the proceedings and invited representatives to share their suggestions for a united and result-oriented action plan.
Key pending issues raised
During the meeting, pensioners voiced strong concern over multiple unresolved issues that have persisted for years. Among the major demands highlighted were:
1. Non-payment of revised gratuity, commutation, and leave encashment benefits to pensioners who retired between January 1, 2016, and January 31, 2022.
2. Pending arrears under the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations — only one installment of ₹50,000 was paid earlier, and even that has not been extended to Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) retirees.
3. No reimbursement of medical bills for the past five years.
4. Delayed fixation of pay matrix cases for pensioners and family pensioners pending with the Accountant General’s office for over a year.
5. 13% Dearness Relief and 111 months’ arrears still pending.
6. Pension for local urban bodies continues to be calculated on 2006 pay scales instead of revised 2016 pay scales.
7. Reservation in education and government jobs for children of retired police personnel on the pattern of the Army.
8. Medical allowance to be extended to pensioners of 20 boards and corporations at par with other departments.
9. Cashless medical facility for retired police personnel similar to that of defence veterans.
10. Implementation of HPMC service rules of 1994 and 2006 for local bodies.
11. Regular and timely monthly pension disbursal to HRTC retirees on the first of every month.
12. Grant of pre-2016 benefits and pending arrears (February 2022 to May 2023) to Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board pensioners and implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the board.
Committee’s ultimatum
In his concluding address, Suresh Thakur said that the committee has exercised patience long enough. “If the government fails to hold talks with our representatives within a week, we will have no option but to hold a strong protest during the Winter Assembly Session in Dharamshala,” he warned.
Prominent participants at the meeting included Bhoop Ram Verma, Brahmanand, TD Thakur, Himmat Ram Sharma, Balram Puri, Seth Ram, Ravindra Singh Rana, Madan Sharma, Ganga Ram Sharma and Rajesh Rana.
