Demanding old pension scheme, govt employees gherao Himachal Assembly

Hundreds of protesting state government employees Friday held a protest outside the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in support of their demand of restoring the old pension scheme.

The police tried to stop the protestors at different locations of Shimla but a large number of them managed to reach near the main gate of the Assembly at Kennedy chowk forcing the police to lock all the gates of the state Assembly.

The state government employees under the banner of New Pension Scheme Karamchari Mahasangh (NPSKM) headed by its chief Pradeep Thakur raised slogans Old Pension-Old Pension, Purani Pension Bahal Karo (restore old pension) by holding tricolour in their hands.

The protestors also tried to cross the grill near the Kennedy chowk to enter the Assembly but Baddi Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohit Chawla and his team foiled their attempt to do so.

A municipal corporation fire engine was also deployed in front of the state Assembly to use it as a water cannon to disperse the protesters. The state director general of police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu was seen on the spot to monitor the security arrangements.

Earlier, the protesters across the state gathered at Tutu from where they reached at New Bus Stand crossing in the morning. From there, they tried to reach the state Assembly but the police stopped them at 103 railway crossing from where most of them reached at Chaura Maidan whereas several others arrived at Kennedy Chowk outside the main gate.

The NPSKM had started a 'padyatra', foot march, from Mandi on February 23 demanding restoring of the old pension scheme and announced to gherao the state Assembly on March 3.

In the Assembly, the opposition Congress tried to raise the old pension scheme issue today but staged a walkout when they were not allowed to do so.

The state government has constituted a three-member committee headed by the chief secretary to consider the old pension scheme issue.