PRTC fails to release pensions as promised, pensioners protest
Over hundreds of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) pensioners staged a protest inside the bus stand and blocked the main gate for over two hours on Friday.
Over hundreds of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) pensioners staged a protest inside the bus stand and blocked the main gate for over two hours on Friday.
The agitators raised slogans against the state and the PRTC management for ignoring their demands. As many as 3,500 superannuated employees are yet to receive their pension for the months of June and July.
The transport corporation had earlier assured to release pending pension amounts by August 22, but the cash-strapped PRTC failed to do so.
PRTC Pensioners' Association chairman Gurnam Singh said, "The pensioners are running from pillar to post, but to no avail. For most of us, this is the only source of income. We are finding it difficult to make ends meet."
Apart from pension, Sing added, the PRTC management failed to release other benefits of the pensioners including gratuity, leave encashment, pending arrears of dearness allowance and reimbursement of medical bills.
President of the association Bhagwant Singh said that PRTC general manager (administration) Surinder Singh (on behalf of the MD) had promised to release their pensions, but not a penny had been received.
Meanwhile, the association has given the PRTC management an ultimatum of August 27 to release their pension, failing which they said they would go on a protest from August 28.
PRTC chairman Avtar Singh Brar said he had met deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday and the latter had decided to hold a high-level meeting on August 25 to resolve the issue.
"Protests by pensioners are embarrassing for us also. The deputy CM will chair a meeting of PRTC's chief secretary, transport secretary, finance secretary and managing director on August 25 to discuss about providing financial assistance to the PRTC," he said.