Public services across several government departments in Ludhiana are likely to be severely impacted on Friday as over 2,000 government employees leave for the state-level Maha Rally at Sector 39, Chandigarh.
Organised under the banner of the Sanjha Mulazam Manch and the Sanjha Mulazam Pensioners Front, the protest is expected to draw a massive gathering of over 20,000 employees from 58 different associations across Punjab. With employees from multiple key sectors participating, routine operations are expected to slow down significantly or face complete disruption in government offices across the district.
Services at the deputy commissioner office, sub-divisional magistrate offices, additional deputy commissioner offices, tehsil complexes, and other administrative departments will be affected due to the absence of clerical staff. Revenue-related work, including the mutation of land records, issuance of various certificates, processing of administrative files, and licenses, is also likely to face delays.
Furthermore, the participation of teachers, patwaris, and community health officers may impact routine functioning in educational institutions, revenue circles, and public health programmes.
The joint protest brings together employees uniting over a mix of common and department-specific grievances. Clerical employees are pressing for the release of the pending 18% Dearness Allowance, the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, the enforcement of the November 18, 2022 notification, the restoration of promotional benefits, the implementation of the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme (4-9-14), the withdrawal of the ₹200 development tax, and the protection of basic pay for newly recruited employees.
{{/usCountry}}The joint protest brings together employees uniting over a mix of common and department-specific grievances. Clerical employees are pressing for the release of the pending 18% Dearness Allowance, the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, the enforcement of the November 18, 2022 notification, the restoration of promotional benefits, the implementation of the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme (4-9-14), the withdrawal of the ₹200 development tax, and the protection of basic pay for newly recruited employees.
{{/usCountry}}Community health officers are demanding the Punjab government to withdraw recently issued performance-based incentive guidelines and instead merge the promised ₹5,000 with their fixed monthly honorarium without tying it to strict performance benchmarks. Patwaris and teachers are similarly set to raise their long-standing service-related demands concerning working conditions and employee benefits.
“We have repeatedly approached the government, but our long-pending demands remain unresolved. This Maha Rally is a united platform for employees from different departments. If the government still fails to respond positively, the agitation will be intensified in the coming days,” said Sandeep Bhambak, district president of the Clerical Union.
Union leaders noted that Friday’s demonstration is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of government employees witnessed in Punjab in recent years, signalling growing dissatisfaction across departments over unresolved employee issues.