Demand to Reinstate Old Pension and Remove Managing Director to be Discussed in Meeting with Chief Minister

In response to the ongoing agitation by the employees of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board demanding the reinstatement of the old pension scheme and the removal of the Managing Director, a meeting with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu is scheduled to take place. The Chief Minister has invited the Joint Struggle Committee of the employees and engineers of the board for discussions.

The decision to hold talks came after the Chief Minister’s assurance, following which the committee decided to defer their protest on January 11. The meeting on Friday will only address the demands presented by the committee. The employees of the electricity board had been demonstrating outside the headquarters at Kumar House for a week during the lunch break, raising their demands.

It is noteworthy that the financial condition of the Electricity Board, struggling to improve its financial situation, has been announced. Lokesha Thakur, the coordinator of the Joint Struggle Committee of employees and engineers of the board, along with the co-coordinator Hiralal Verma, stated that the new fiscal year is about to begin. If the reinstatement of the old pension is not implemented soon, the employees will suffer losses.

Despite the announcement by the Chief Minister, the bureaucratic hurdle of reinstating the Old Pension Scheme is causing delays. This matter is expected to be prominently discussed in the meeting on Friday. In addition to the demand for the reinstatement of old pensions, there will also be a call for the appointment of a permanent Managing Director for the board. The current Managing Director holds additional responsibilities beyond the board, including the Energy Department and Power Corporation.

Thakur expressed hope that the government would understand the seriousness of the issue, and positive results would emerge from the meeting. He warned that if the reinstatement of the old pension and the appointment of a permanent Managing Director are not addressed, the agitation would resume.