‘Ambala Cooch’ ahead of Haryana polls: Punjab govt employees, pensioners to hit the streets in Ambala on October 2

Talking to The Indian Express, Jasvir Talwara, 1 of the convenors of Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front, said, “Union leaders of much than 50 authorities departments took portion successful the virtual gathering today, and it was unanimously decided to clasp ‘Ambala Cooch’ (March towards Ambala) connected October 2. We volition beryllium holding a protestation march successful Ambala and volition beryllium advising the radical of Haryana to ballot wisely successful the coming elections. The Punjab Pensioners’ Association is besides supporting us. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had repeatedly postponed his meetings with the authorities employees successful the past regarding our issues, and successful Haryana, helium is projecting a rosy representation of Punjab portion seeking votes for the AAP.”

Haryana volition spell to the polls connected October 5.

Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, president of Punjab State Electricity Board Employees’ Federation, and 1 of the convenors of Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front, said, “The AAP is making mendacious promises successful Haryana. Old Pension Scheme (OPS) hasn’t been implemented successful Punjab, lone notification was issued successful November 2022 up of Gujarat polls. So, radical of Haryana indispensable cognize the information of the AAP’s show successful Punjab.”

The leaders said successful the virtual gathering that “Mann had antecedently made mendacious claims during the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections successful 2022, stating that the OPS has been restored and contractual employees person been made imperishable successful Punjab”, and his enactment had to look the consequences successful some states, said Talwara.

The leaders highlighted that contempt promises, the OPS has not yet been restored successful Punjab and “the authorities has present distanced itself from the contented by linking it to the cardinal government. The argumentation introduced by this authorities for making contractual employees imperishable is the worst to date, providing occupation information lone until the property of 58 without immoderate different benefits associated with a imperishable employee”, said Digvijay Pal Sharma, president of Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), Punjab.

Savinderpal Singh Moolowali, president of Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front, said, “On October 2, we volition exposure the Mann authorities successful Haryana.”

In the meeting, the leaders besides pointed retired that “the authorities has neither paid the five-and-a-half years of arrears nether the Pay Commission nor implemented the 2nd portion of the wage sheet recommendations, which includes the payment of assured vocation progression (ACP). Despite the recommendations of the Pay Commission, pensioners person not been granted the owed benefits and 3 instalments of dearness allowance (DA) excessively person not been given. Moreover, 239 months of DA arrears are inactive pending. The authorities has besides failed to treble the incentives for mid-day repast cooks, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and helpers, arsenic promised”.

In the gathering leaders further criticised the authorities “for continuing the exploitation of recently recruited employees nether the January 15, 2015, and July 9, 2016, notifications, wherever they are paid lone basal wage during the probationary period. Employees recruited aft July 17, 2020, are fixed cardinal wage scales. The authorities has besides started collecting a improvement taxation of Rs 200 per month, which was antecedently levied lone connected employees but is present being collected from pensioners arsenic well”, said Ratan Singh Majari, different convenor of Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front.

Talwara said, “The authorities is looting the authorities treasury, spending crores connected mendacious advertisements done societal media, physics media, and people media.”

Talwara added that the leaders announced the associated beforehand volition besides protestation against the Centre successful Haryana. They accused the cardinal authorities of rapidly implementing privatisation policies that are dismantling nationalist assemblage institutions, taking distant adjacent the minimal services provided to the people. They alleged that the Centre is besides liable for the discontinuation of the OPS, and adjacent successful states wherever the OPS has been restored, the funds with Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) person not been returned.

Key members of Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front who attended the gathering included Satish Rana, Jarman Jeet Singh, Ratan Singh Majari, Gagandeep Singh Bhullar, Sukhdev Singh Saini, Baj Singh Khaira, Karam Singh Dhanoa, Surinder Ram Kussa, Surinder Kumar Puari, B S Saini, Radhe Shyam, Prem Chawla, Bobinder Singh, and Karamjit Singh Bihla.