Garhshankar, September 12:- Despite the ongoing struggle by employees’ and pensioners’ organisations of Punjab and the High Court’s orders, the Punjab Government has allegedly adopted an arrogant and rigid attitude by not releasing the instalments of Dearness Allowance (DA) to employees and pensioners, not accepting other important demands, and subsequently withdrawing itself from the meeting given by the Chief Minister. The organisations also alleged that the government launched a campaign of misinformation against employees and transferred employee leaders with a retaliatory approach. Against this, and as part of the call given by the joint coordination committee of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Sanjha Front and Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab to gherao the offices/residences of Punjab ministers, thousands of employees and pensioners from Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts, under the leadership of Punjab Convener-cum-Coordinator Satish Rana, Shiv Kumar Tiwari, Makhan Singh Wahidpuri, Amarika Singh, Kulvaran Singh, Surinder Kumar Puari, Anuridh Modgil, Jail Singh, Sanjeev Kumar, Jasvir Talwara, Sukhdev Dansiwal, Nirmal Singh Hoshiarpur, Kamaljit Kaur and Shakuntala Devi, held a massive gathering at the Garhshankar bus stand, followed by a strong protest march and demonstration towards the residence of Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri. A large number of Mid-Day Meal, Anganwadi and ASHA workers also participated. The employees and pensioners taking part in the protest march and demonstration carried black flags along with the flags of their organisations as a symbol of their deep anger and resentment against the government. Many employees and pensioners wore black turbans and bands as a mark of protest, while women wore black dupattas. During the protest march, the demonstrators raised strong slogans in support of their demands and against the alleged arrogant and rigid attitude of the Punjab Government, and the general public was made aware of what the protesters described as the truth behind the misinformation being spread by the Punjab Government regarding employees and pensioners.
At this time, coordination committee leaders Kuldeep Singh Daurka, Kulwinder Singh Atwal, Vijay Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Ram Kishan Pali Jhikki, Som Lal Thopia, Indersukhdeep Singh Odra, Manjit Singh Dasuha, Bikramjit Singh, Narinder Ajnoha, Amarjit Singh, Jaswinder Aujla, Amritpal Singh, Jatinder Soni, Madan Lal Saini and Narinder Singh Goli strongly demanded that the Punjab Government, in accordance with its promises and the High Court’s decision, release the remaining 18 per cent instalments of Dearness Allowance; revise pensions by the 2.59 multiplication factor; restore the Old Pension Scheme; revise the salaries of unrevised categories by the 2.59 multiplication factor; regularise all types of contractual employees; bring honorarium/incentive workers under the ambit of minimum wages; restore all allowances, including the rural allowance, that were cut in the name of revising salaries; restore the ACP scheme; withdraw the employee-anti notification dated 15.01.2015 regarding appointment on the basic pay; cancel the order dated 17.07.2020 implementing the Central Pay Scale; withdraw the notification of revised service rules dated 12.06.2025 and provide Punjab pay scales to all new employees of Punjab; withdraw the Rs 200 per month tax being deducted from Punjab employees and pensioners in the name of development; pay the Sixth Pay Commission arrears in a lump-sum instalment; restore the higher grade pay implemented in 2011 on the recommendation of the Fifth Pay Commission; increase the fixed medical allowance for employees and pensioners to Rs 2,000 per month; make 125 per cent Dearness Allowance the basis while revising salaries and pensions from January 2016; issue the report regarding ACP in the second part of the Sixth Pay Commission; immediately constitute the Seventh Pay Commission of Punjab; implement the Cashless Health Scheme for all employees and pensioners of Punjab; increase the Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity for Punjab employees and pensioners to Rs 25 lakh on the pattern of the Centre and extend it to boards, corporations and other institutions as well; and generalise the decisions given by courts in favour of employees and pensioners, among other legitimate demands, without any further delay. They warned that if the Punjab Government still failed to take concrete action on these demands, the government would have to face strong anger and resentment from employees and pensioners in the future. A resolution passed on the occasion strongly condemned the repressive policy allegedly being adopted by the Punjab Government when ordinary people question Punjab ministers. It also demanded that, on the basis of the statement given by Dirhba’s Gulzar Singh before his death, the name of Finance Minister Harpal Cheema be included in the FIR for allegedly forcing him to commit suicide, and that the police officials accused of subjecting Mohanjit Sheron, who showed a black flag to the Chief Minister, to inhuman torture be dismissed.
The Deputy Speaker reached the protest dharna held in front of his residence and received the memorandum. On the occasion, Satish Rana condemned the misleading propaganda allegedly being carried out by the government and discussed the demands.
Those present on the occasion included Balbir Singh Khanpuri, Hansraj Garhshankar, Gurdial Singh, Makhan Singh Langheri, Viney Kumar, Jaswinder Singh, Manjit Singh Dasuha, Jarnail Singh, Avtar Lal, Manjit Singh Baba, Chander Shekhar, Narinder Bharta, Som Lal Thopia, Sohan Singh Balachaur, Narinder Singh Goraya, Manjit Banga, Baljit Singh Mahimowal, Gurpreet Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Jasvir Singh, Hoshiarpur, Mani Ram, Pravesh Kumar Hoshiarpur, Karnail Singh Rahon, Des Raj Bajo, Kamaldev, Jagdish Balachaur, Parminder Pal Singh, Gurdial Mann, Jujhar Sahungra, Nand Lal Bhangal, Raj Kumar Jadli, Madan Lal, Madan Lal Saini, Jatinder Singh Soni, Inderjit Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur Nagra, Rashpal Kaur, farmer leader Darshan Singh Mattu, Gurnek Singh Bhajjal, Harmesh Dhesi, Kulwinder Chahal, Kulbhushan Kumar, Ramji Chauhan, Balwant Ram, Mohinder Singh Baddon and Mahan Singh Rori, among others.