SRINAGAR: For the last one and half years retired employees of the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Kashmir have been shuttling between offices seeking the release of their pension but without any luck.
After spending their lifetime serving the department these employees retired in mid-2021 and are since waiting for their first installment of pension.
“I never thought that after working sincerely for over 30 years my department would make me suffer like this,” said Mohammad, who retired this year but is yet to get his pension.
“My children are at the peak of their educational career. It is now they need monetarily support the most. But whatever little I had saved is already spent,” said another employee who wished not to give his name as he fears this might further delay his pension. “I might have visited director’s office over a dozen times since February, but nothing has been done so far. In-stead we get treated like petty criminals.”
As per the employees they have completed all the required formalities needed to get their pension including procuring almost half-a-dozen NOC’s from different sections.
“It is hard to believe we were part of this department till recently as they seem to disown us when we need them the most,” said Sajad, another employee who visits the Srinagar-based ULB office almost every other week to enquire about his pension.
According to a 2013 Supreme Court of India ruling “gratuity and pension are hard-earned benefits of an employee and right to receive pension is like “property”.
The top Court held that this right cannot be taken away from a government employee pending departmental or criminal proceedings.
But retired employees of UBL Kashmir allege that no reason has been given to them as to why their pensions has not been released even after more than a year has passed since they retired from their services.
“This is our only source of income. Our department should understand that one cannot sustain without money,” said Ahmed, who is a father of three girls.
“We have put everything on hold. It is painful to beg for something that is rightfully ours,” added another employee.
