Shimla, Dec 17 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government owes approximately Rs 17,000 crore to the state's pensioners, said Shimla city president of Himachal Pradesh pension welfare association Madan Lal Sharma,
and warned to ghero the state secretariat if the demands of the pensioners are not fulfilled.
Talking to PTI Videos on the occasion of Pensioners Day here on Wednesday, he said that a Joint Action Committee (JAC) of 18 departments has now been formed, and a 14-point demand letter has been submitted to the chief minister.
The association expressed hope that the chief minister would call them for talks soon and warned that if the government does not find a solution through dialogue, the pensioners will be forced to take to the streets again.
Referring to the recent protest in Dharamshala, where pensioners in large numbers had gathered from across the state and led a march to the Assembly in Tapovan during the Winter Session, he said that the CM had called a delegation for talks and assured them of a meeting after the Assembly session. He warned the next protest would be in the form of a gherao (siege) of the state secretariat.
According to the pensioners' leaders, there are currently about two lakh pensioners in Himachal Pradesh and their demands include arrears due since 2016, outstanding dearness allowance (DA) and the payment of pending medical bills.
Sharma said that after retirement, pension and medical facilities are the main support for pensioners but payments in these areas have been pending for years, causing great inconvenience to the retirees. PTI BPL MNK
MNK
