Punjab panchayat samiti pensioners decry month-long delays, seek CM’s intervention

Around 3,000 retired employees of the panchayat samiti under the Rural Development Department have expressed deep concern over the repeated delays in receiving their pensions.

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According to the pensioners, their payments are consistently delayed by nearly a month, unlike other departments, where pensions are disbursed by the 1st of each month. Instead, panchayat samiti retirees reportedly receive their pensions only towards the end of the month.

Adding to their frustration, pensioners say they are forced to approach the department’s headquarters every month to plead for the release of their dues.

Jai Dev Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Punjab Panchayat Samiti Employees Union, told The Tribune that retirees are facing ongoing harassment. “When we visit the Rural Development Department’s headquarters, they tell us the bills have been sent to the treasury, but that objections have been raised—hence the delay. It’s ironic that every month, pensioners are made to suffer due to the same issues,” he said.

The union leaders, including Ahluwalia and Kulwant Rade, urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to personally intervene and resolve the issue.

The 3,000 affected pensioners include former panchayat officers, secretaries, superintendents, and Class IV employees. Many of them are now in their seventies, and union leaders stressed that the pension delays are severely impacting their household needs at this stage of life.

Ahluwalia also alleged that several retired employees passed away without receiving any pension at all, as their retirement records were never sent to the Mohali head office by certain block offices. “Now, their families are running from pillar to post trying to get those pensions released,” he added.