Retired employees fear delay in payment of pension

Rawalpindi: Tension and unrest prevails among the retired government employees of the local government departments who fear that shortage of funds will hinder payment of pensions to them.

Heading the Pensioners Association, vice president, Ghulam Mohammad Naz, general secretary, Tariq Mahmood Khan as well as Malik Mohammad Azam alleged that the present system of payment of pensions to retired government employees of the local bodies departments is very inappropriate. Due to this reason payment of pensions is not made smoothly and is delayed by months.

The Punjab government should devise a formula for improving the system of payment of pensions. Clearing Ghulam Naz, said that the funds should be allocated in the Annual Budget for pension of payments to retired employees of local bodies departments. “The Punjab Government should direct the heads of the respective local bodies departments to allocate funds in their annual budgets for paying pensions to the retired employees on every month without any delay,” he added.

Ghulam Naz added that due to poor system the authorities failed to release payments of pensions on time in the past however, after the apex court had taken notice of delay in payment of pensions, the higher authorities paid 6 months pensions to the retired employees and the payment process is still continuing.

However, it is again feared that the hiccups in payment of pensions to the retired employees of local bodies would reoccur again in the coming months due to shortage of funds, he added. The retired employees are likely to face problem of receiving their payments on time from the beginning of next year, the representatives claimed. It is better the Punjab government takes notice and adopt strategy for clearing pensions on time to the retired servants of local government departments, they stressed.

They appealed to the Punjab government to take serious notice of the matter to prevent any delay in pension payments to the retired employees. Otherwise, the retired workers would suffer economically, forcing them to launch protest campaign if the matter aggravates.

Replying to a question, Ghulam Mohd Naz and Tahire Mahmood Khan told in all the number of retired employees of local government departments is 2,000 and the amount of pensions to them is estimated to Rs20.5million per month.