Garhshankar (Hari Krishan Gangar):- A large group of employees and pensioners from Garhshankar, under the banner of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation (PSSF) and the Pensioners Welfare Association, left for the October 10 mega rally in Sangrur under the leadership of Sham Sunder Kapoor, Gurnam Singh Hajipur, Harjinder Sunni, Pawan Kumar Garhi and Balwant Ram.
At the time of departure, the group raised strong slogans in support of its demands and against the Bhagwant Mann government. Employee and pensioner leaders said that in the previous meeting with the Coordination Committee, the Chief Minister of Punjab had promised that meetings would be held with the committee during the first week of every month to resolve the legitimate demands of Punjab’s employees and pensioners. However, they alleged that the Chief Minister had gone back on this promise and had not held any meeting with the Coordination Committee, further increasing anger among employees and pensioners towards the government.
They said that despite court orders, the Punjab government was not prepared to grant employees and pensioners their due entitlement to Dearness Allowance (DA). They asserted that the Sangrur mega rally would prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the Bhagwant Mann government. They said a massive wave of employees and pensioners would descend on Sangrur and the government would not be able to withstand it.
They said there was still time for the government to implement the court’s decision in favour of employees and pensioners in letter and spirit and immediately accept their legitimate demands. These include the immediate restoration of the old pension scheme, as promised by the government; regularization of temporary employees by granting them regular pay scales; cancellation of the letters dated 15.1.15 and 17.07.20; implementation of the 2.59 formula for pensioners; bringing honorarium workers under the ambit of minimum wages; and filling vacant posts immediately on a regular basis.
They warned that if the government still failed to resolve the demands of employees and pensioners, the agitation would be intensified and the government would have to face the consequences in the coming elections.
Leaders and members of the PWD Field and Workshop Union, Forest Workers Union and Water Resources Employees Union also participated in large numbers in the group. Those present included Jagdish Pakhowal, Pawan Kumar Goel, Dilbag Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Amanpreet Bedi, Ram Kumar, Joginder Singh, Lamber Singh, Balbhaddar Singh, Gurnam Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Hazura Singh, Lashkari Ram, Husn Lal, Manjit Singh and Hardeep Kumar.
