JAMMU, Sep 29: A demonstration and sit-in protest was held near the Press Club, Exhibition Ground, Jammu, under the leadership of Romesh Singh Bhau, President, and P.P. Singh, Chairman, Retired Employees Association, Jammu, to press for the release of long-pending arrears of retired employees.
Addressing the gathering, the protesters strongly criticised what they described as the indifferent attitude of the Transport authorities and Finance Department towards their pending case. They alleged that the departments were unnecessarily delaying the matter and claimed that the complete files were lying with the Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Transport Department, Civil Secretariat, Jammu, without any effective action being taken to settle their dues.
The protesters demanded the release of their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) arrears from June 1999 to December 31, 2005, Sixth Pay Commission arrears from January 1, 2006 to March 2012, and Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears from April 2012 to March 2021. They said the dues had remained pending for a prolonged period and urged the concerned authorities to resolve the matter at the earliest.
Dev Raj Bali, President, VRS/GHS Union Jammu and Kashmir, also strongly criticised the alleged delay on the part of the SRTC management. He said the matter had been pending for a considerable period and appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of J&K and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and take up the issue during the Assembly session so that the case could be resolved.
The protesters urged the government to take a time-bound decision and ensure that the long-pending legitimate dues of retired employees are released without further delay.
The demonstration was attended by G.S. Tohra, Kamal Ram, Amrik Singh Sasan, Surinder Singh, Satbhushan Singh and several other members of the Retired Employees Association.