Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation employees and pensioners today staged a protest outside the assembly seeking release of their pending allowances and dues including the pensioner benefits of retired employees.
This issue was raised in the state assembly after the recess by senior Congress member Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu through point of order . Sukhu said that while coming to assembly a delegation of HRTC employees who are heading toward vidhan sabha complex stopped him and appraised about their long pending issues.
Sukhu said that employees of HRTC are not getting their overtime and night allowances, their leave encashment and accommodation allowances and gratuity are not being released by the corporation despite serving day and night on various routes.
Sukhu said that HRTC employees who have retired recently are deprived of the benefit of pension despite having served in technical and hard conditions throughout their lives. Sukhu said that Transport minister is not in the house and expected to be busy with the works of industry and labour and employment should have addressed the concern of employees.
Replying to the point of order of Sukhu, Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Bhardwaj informed that minister are already busy as the delegation of HRTC employees are in the assembly complex to discuss this issue with Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. Bhardwaj said that he wanted to assure the members that the Jai Ram Government is aware about the demands and problems of HRTC employees and it would be sorted out soon.
It is worthwhile to mention that State Government has to provide the annual grant of Rs 500 Crore to HRTC as the corporation renders social welfare transport services to different categories and also provide facilities of transport in hard and less profitable rural and hard area on near 3000 routes to commuters on daily basis. The HRTC is currently running in whooping losses and its debt has been increased to Rs 900 Crore.
