8,000 HRTC pensioners protest in Shimla over pension delays

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Yog Raj Sharma

The North News

Shimla, September 26

Nearly 8,000 retired employees of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) say they have not received their pensions for September, despite the month drawing to a close. The pensioners, many of them elderly, staged a protest in Shimla accusing the state government of neglect. They said that for over a year, pensions have rarely been paid on time, forcing them to struggle with daily expenses, medicines, and family needs.

HRTC Pensioners’ Welfare Association state president, Devaraj Thakur, told reporters that last month’s pensions were credited only on the 30th, while this month they remain pending beyond the 26th. He also said that medical reimbursements have not been cleared for two years, while arrears and dearness allowance payments are overdue.

Thakur added that employees who retired after March 2024 have not received any pension at all. “After a lifetime of service, we are forced to beg the government for what is rightfully ours. If payments are not released and a fixed schedule is not announced, we will intensify our agitation and gherao the state secretariat,” he warned.

The issue has reignited anger among retirees, who say they are being pushed to the streets at an age when they should be resting.