PENSIONERS OF PUNJAB STATE COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BANK TO STAGE DHARNA ON AUGUST 25
(MOREPIC1) Face2News/Chandigarh
Despite the orders of the Hon'ble High Court and then the Supreme Court, the pensioners of Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank are still deprived of their pensions. Despite this, both the courts gave the decision in favor of the pensioners, but the bank officials are continuously harassing the pensioners by flouting the decision of the Supreme Court.
While addressing the press conference on Monday, Rajendra Meelu, convener of tricity Association of effective pensioners of the bank said that 1130 old pensioners of the state of patience are at their ripe age due to the bank's negligence and attitude. Out of them there are about 400 widows and 95% of the pensioners lie in the age group of 70 to 91 years.
While highlighting the whole issue, he said that the provision of pension for the employees initiated from April 1, 1989, which was closed on March 31, 2010. The bank made a comprehensive cut of 30 to 40 percent in pension on April 1, 2010 which annoyed the former employees.
In the case filed in the High Court, the decision came in the interest of the former bank employees on August 31, 2013. The bank challenged the same order in the double bench of the High Court. The Double Bench also ruled in favor of pensioners on 29 July 2019. The bank again challenged the decision of the double bench in the Supreme Court on 14 November 2019, but contrary to their expectations, the Supreme Court rejected their appeal and ruled in favor of pensioners on 11 January 2022.
The bank tried to make the matter pending by putting a review petition in the Supreme Court, but the decision once again came in favor of the pensioners on 12 April 2022. The court gave strict instructions to the bank that the pending pension should be paid to the pensioners in 12 installments along with the old arrears, while the deadline was fixed till December 31, 2022.(SUBHEAD)
Defying the orders of the court, the bank has so far been able to manage only six installments of pension. The pensioners also alleged that the bank is not giving them the benefit of revised pension since 2013, which is against the orders.
Meelu alleged that the pensioners are completely aggrieved by the irresponsible attitude of the transferred Managing Director of the bank, Rajeev Kumar Gupta. He released the pensioners' four months' pension on 29 April 2022 when the Supreme Court had summoned him to appear in person. The new MD Parvinder Pal Sandhu is also not taking any concrete steps in this direction. He released pensions of May and June on July 13 in a delayed note. The pension for the month of July which was due on August 1 has not been released yet.
The association blamed MD Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu, GM Finance Rajwinder Randhawa and DGM Accounts Sardar Preet Mahindra Singh for the delay.
The pensioners warned that if their demands were not met, they would intensify their campaign by peacefully demonstrating in front of the bank headquarters in Sector 17 on August 25.
