HP Electricity Board Pensioners Express Strong Dissent Over Non-Payment of Arrears and Subsidy Cuts in Sundernagar Meeting.
Shimla:
The meeting of the HP Electricity Board Pensioners Forum, Sundernagar Unit, was held at the Suket Cinema Complex under the chairmanship of Forum President Er. K.S. Jamwal. The gathering expressed deep dissatisfaction over the non-payment of revised pay scales, leave encashment, gratuity, and DA arrears to employees who retired between 2016 and 2022.
Addressing the meeting, President K.S. Jamwal, General Secretary Sohan Singh Chauhan, and State Deputy General Secretary Jagmel Thakur highlighted the resolutions passed in the previous executive meeting concerning various long-pending issues of pensioners. They informed members about the ongoing activities of the forum aimed at resolving these matters at the earliest.
The speakers strongly criticized the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board’s recent move to reduce tariff subsidies for pensioners and employees under Category A and B, starting from March. They alleged that the department has also added a lump-sum arrear amount to the electricity bills of these pensioners and employees, causing undue financial burden.
The forum condemned both the department and the government for the decision, pointing out the contradiction between the government’s statements and actions. “While the Chief Minister has repeatedly stated in the Assembly that no consumer’s subsidy has been cut and that the 125-unit benefit remains intact, the department has, in reality, withdrawn the relief provided to pensioners, employees, and officers,” the forum representatives said.
Pensioners questioned the rationale behind the government’s move, saying, “When the government demands water royalty from other states by claiming that the water belongs to Himachal, then why are we being deprived of the tariff subsidy on electricity generated from that very water?”
The Forum warned that if the subsidy is not restored and pending arrears are not paid soon, pensioners along with their families would be forced to take to the streets in protest.
Prominent attendees included retired Chief Engineers N.P. Sharma, S.S. Dehal, N.R. Gaud, R.S. Katwal, Khushal Sharma, N.D. Walia, Rajendra Rana, P.K. Sharma, Prithviraj Parashar, Kapoor Singh, Bhup Singh Rana, Naresh Chauhan, Ravi Kapoor, Krishan Kumar, Jeet Ram Thakur, Satish Sen, Yogesh Prakash, Chait Ram Sharma, Sher Singh Thakur, Inder Thakur, Garja Ram, Arjun Singh Chauhan, Brijlal, Lal Singh, Rati Ram, Shyam Lal, Rajendra Pal, Prem Singh, Jeet Ram (II), Hem Prabh, Balak Ram, Muni Lal, Leela Dhar, Atma Ram, Narayan Singh, Tek Singh, Beeri Singh, Bali Ram, and Buddhi Singh among others.
