Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 2 (ANI): Hundreds of employees, engineers and pensioners of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) held a protest and gherao outside the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Shimla on Wednesday, demanding restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), fresh recruitment and settlement of pending financial and retirement benefits.
Addressing the protesters, Hiralal Verma, Co-Convenor of the Joint Action Committee, HPSEB Employees and Engineers Front, said employees from across the state had gathered to press the government to implement OPS in the electricity board.
"Today, electricity employees, pensioners and engineers from across the state have gathered here. Our main demand is the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme in the electricity board. Along with this, recruitment in the board and several other issues are among our key demands," Verma said while speaking to ANI.
He said the strength of the electricity board's workforce had declined drastically over the years.
"There used to be around 43,000 employees in the electricity board, but today the number has come down to only around 13,000. In addition, there are approximately 3,000 outsourced employees. We can say that the workforce has been reduced to around one-third of what it used to be," he said.
Verma claimed that approximately 11,500 posts are currently vacant in the electricity board and demanded their immediate filling to ensure better services to consumers across Himachal Pradesh.
"Today around 11,500 posts are lying vacant in the electricity board. Our major demand is that these posts should be filled immediately so that better services can be provided to the people of the state," he said.
Verma said electricity board employees had been excluded from the restoration of OPS despite its implementation in other sectors of the state government.
"Old pension has been given in all sectors of the state, but electricity board employees have been deprived of it. The CCS Pension Rules, 1972, were implemented in the government, and the same rules were implemented in the electricity board in 1974. Amendments made to these rules since 2003 were also implemented in the board, including the first amendment in 2003. However, the amendment relating to restoration of the Old Pension Scheme made in 2023 has not been implemented in the electricity board," he said.
He suggested that there could be a communication gap between the state government and the electricity board management but said employees were increasingly concerned about the delay.
"There may be a communication gap between the state government and the board management, but employees are now becoming increasingly apprehensive. The present government has about one-and-a-half years left, and there is concern that if announcements are made or implemented in 2026, they could subsequently be reviewed when the government changes," Verma said.
He appealed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to meet the protesting employees and announce the implementation of OPS in the electricity board.
"Thousands of employees and pensioners are waiting here outside the Assembly. We appeal to the Chief Minister to come and announce the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for electricity board employees and resolve this long-pending issue," he said.
Verma warned that the agitation would be intensified if the government failed to act. "OPS is our right. If the state government does not implement OPS in the electricity board, the movement will be intensified," he said.
Another protester, Om Chand Bharti, said employees had been demanding restoration of OPS for the past four years but alleged that the government had failed to take a decision despite repeated assurances.
"Our main demand is that OPS should also be restored in the electricity board. We have been continuously raising this demand with the government for the last four years, but the government is not accepting it," Bharti said.
He described the repeated assurances and delays as a "mere eyewash". "It is nothing but an eyewash for us because we keep getting date after date, but no decision is being taken on the issue," he said.
Bharti said around 7,000 younger employees who had joined the board were currently deprived of OPS. "We have around 7,000 young colleagues who have joined the board and are deprived of OPS. Along with this, there should be a permanent policy for our outsourced employees," he said.
He also demanded recruitment to address the acute shortage of manpower in the electricity board. "The electricity board is facing a severe shortage of employees, and we are demanding fresh recruitment through this platform," Bharti said.
Bharti said retired employees had also joined the protest to seek settlement of their pending dues and retirement benefits.
"Today, along with regular employees, our retired colleagues have also gathered here to fight for their rights. Some of our colleagues retired nearly two years ago and have still not received all their retirement benefits. It was only through our struggle that some of them were able to receive part of their retirement benefits, while others are still deprived of them," he said.
He said employees were also demanding payment of pending arrears and Dearness Allowance (DA). "Our demands also include payment of arrears and DA. We have gathered here to raise all these issues," Bharti said.
He said the Joint Action Committee would decide the next course of action if the memorandum submitted to the board failed to yield a satisfactory response.
"The next step will depend on the state committee and the Joint Action Committee. If no solution emerges on the memorandum we have submitted to the board, the Joint Action Committee is ready for the next course of action. Whatever decision the committee takes, we will act accordingly," he said.
Bharti appealed to the state government to extend OPS to electricity board employees as it had done for other departments.
"If the Sukhu government has restored OPS for employees of so many departments, what wrong have the electricity board employees done? OPS should be restored in the electricity board at the earliest," he said. (ANI)
HPSEB employees gherao Himachal Assembly; demand Old Pension Scheme, recruitment to fill 11,500 vacancies
