Power Board pensioners resent non-payment of DA, gratuity arrears

Members of the HP State Electricity Board Pensioners’ Forum, Sundernagar unit, expressed resentment over the non-payment of revised pay scales, leave encashment, gratuity and dearness allowance (DA) arrears to employees, who had retired between 2016 and 2022. A meeting of the forum was eld under the chairmanship of its president KS Jamwal at the Suket Cinema Complex in Mandi district.

Besides KS Jamwal, forum general secretary Sohan Singh Chauhan and state deputy general secretary Jagmel Thakur highlighted resolutions passed in the previous executive meeting regarding various unresolved issues faced by pensioners. They also briefed the members about the forum’s current activities aimed at resolving these long-pending matters.

Speakers criticised the Electricity Board and the state government for recently cutting tariff subsidies for the pensioners and the employees under categories A and B. They said that the department not only reduced the subsidies from March but also added a lump-sum amount of arrears in the same month’s electricity bills, causing a financial strain to the pensioners.

The forum questioned the state government’s stance saying, “While the Chief Minister has repeatedly assured the Vidhan Sabha that no consumer subsidy has been withdrawn and that the benefit of 125 units is intact, the Electricity Department has, in reality, started discontinuing this relief for pensioners and its own employees and officers.”

The forum said, “When the government demands water royalty from other states claiming that it belongs to Himachal, why are we being deprived of tariff subsidies on electricity generated from that very water?”

It warned the government if subsidy was not restored and arrears were not paid, the pensioners and their families, would hold protests.