Disbursement of salaries, pension & dues: HRTC indulges in pick & choose

Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation running in red for about Rs 1300 Cr cumulative loss adopting pick and choose between various groups of HRTC Employees, Pensioners, and claimants of overtime and post-retirement pending dues.

The overall operation of HRTC is being neglected by successive governments to make all the Transport operations in favor of a strong lobby of private operators forcing employees and pensioners to rely upon the bounty of the State government to settle their claims of them.

Talking to UNI former general secretary of the HRTC Employees union Rajinder Thakur stated that HRTC has around 5000 Pensioners who are entitled to monthly pension tunes to Rs 5 Crore in addition to an almost equal number of servings employees who are being disbursed Rs 21 Crore monthly salary and allowances. 

5000 Pensioners became victims of pick and choose policy of the Sukhvinder Singh government as all overtime workers and employees went on strike recently. Instead of releasing pension HRTC choose the latter to run the show. 

Thus corporatization couldn’t disburse Rs 5 Crore Pension. HRTC is not an employee and pensioners are suffering because of the faulty policy of the government which is in favor of private operators.

Employees are being asked by the management and government to not bother about loss-making routes and the monopoly of private operators forcing HRTC operations to the recurring loss.

He said that HRTC is running convoys or fleets of around 3300 buses but its occupancy is less than 55 percent. The new Transport policy was implemented in 2004 to make compulsory operation of a 60 to 40 ratio of urban and rural routes but due to the monopoly of private operators, they are running their services against the policy.

The government may increase the occupancy of HRTC above 55 pc and if it runs its operations above 65 pc occupancy employees and pensioners need to beg in front of the state government.

Mr Thakur stated that a number of routes were allocated to private operators on Shimla-Solan routes where in addition to HRTC it have to compete with four interstate Transports. No route could be allocated on 100 percent national highway and urban routes but the lobby is trying to amend the allotted route against the policy which was never Implemented by the department of Transport in accordance with the new Transport policy.

He said that now 5000 pensioners of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) are in anger as their pension and post-retirement dues are pending as payments continue to be delayed, leaving them in financial distress. 

Despite the government’s promises, pensioners claim that the current administration has failed to ensure timely disbursement of their pensions.

President of the HP Pensioners Organization, Anoop Kapoor, voiced the concerns of the pensioners, stating, “It is not a pension but has become our tension.”

 He emphasized that even though the current government took office over five months ago, pensioners have not received their payments on time in any single month since then.

Typically, pensions were credited to their accounts at the end of each month, but even in April, the payment was delayed, and now the month of May is ending without any signs of relief.

Rajinder Verma, a retired technical supervisor, shared his personal struggles, mentioning that a debilitating injury from two years ago has left him reliant on a walking stick. He expressed the difficulty of running from pillar to post in search of his pension, noting that commoners like him are being forgotten by the government. Verma’s

sentiments were echoed by many other pensioners who feel helpless in the face of bureaucratic negligence.

President Kapoor criticized both the ruling BJP government and the opposition Congress party for disregarding the genuine demands of the pensioners. He warned that if the situation does not improve,

pensioners may be compelled to take to the streets in protest. Additionally, Kapoor highlighted that the pension enhancements, mandated by law, have not been implemented, further exacerbating the pensioners’ grievances.

The HP Pensioners Association also called for the withdrawal of pending First Information Reports (FIRs) against retired employees who protested against the delayed payments. Around 8-10, retired employees have FIRs filed against them, which the association believes should be dropped.

In response to the growing unrest, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Transport, Mukesh Agnihotri, had previously assured pensioners that a permanent arrangement would be established to ensure salaries

and pensions were disbursed before the 7th of every month. He also pledged to address salary discrepancies and other demands through discussions with the Finance Department.

However, two weeks after this statement, pensioners are still grappling with the financial strain caused by the delayed payments. The pensioners’ frustration continues to mount as they are deprived

of the funds they rightfully earned after dedicating their entire lives to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation.

The HP Pensioners Association remains hopeful that the government would take swift action to rectify the situation, fulfill their demands, and prioritize the well-being of the pensioners who served the corporation faithfully throughout their careers.