Retired employees of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) took to the streets in Shimla on Friday, protesting outside the HRTC headquarters. They demanded quick payment of their overdue pensions and fixes for other long-ignored issues, highlighting the ongoing struggles of HRTC pensioners in Himachal Pradesh.
The Shimla unit of the HRTC State Pensioners Welfare Association led the two-hour demonstration. These retirees say they face constant hassle, chasing the corporation’s management and the state government every month just to get what they deserve.
Rajinder Thakur, the association’s general secretary, spoke to reporters about the frustration. “For the past year, our pensions have never come on time,” he said. “We run from the HRTC office to the Chief Minister’s door, and last month, we even had to beg the Deputy Chief Minister to release them—finally, on the 30th. This month, we’ve visited the secretariat over ten times and the headquarters nearly twenty, but no solid promises on when or how we’ll get paid. We’re fed up with the empty words. That’s why we’re protesting today to wake up the authorities. If nothing changes, we’ll ramp up with protests in all state units and even bring our families to demonstrate outside the Secretary’s home and HRTC offices.”
The group pointed out that courts have ordered action multiple times, including blocking the Managing Director’s official vehicle, yet the government and HRTC haven’t budged. Their anger boiled over during the festive season, when other state pensioners received back payments and installments—but HRTC retirees got nothing.
Suresh Thakur, a retired HRTC employee and former president of the employees’ union, shared the personal toll. “Our lives are miserable now,” he told . “Sick pensioners can’t pay medical bills because reimbursements have stalled for nine years. New retirees aren’t even getting started on their pensions. Officials just mislead us or treat us poorly, claiming no funds exist—while leaders boost their own perks overnight. The Chief Minister travels abroad, the Transport Minister is off somewhere, but we can’t even get basic medical help. The CM promised ₹9 crore for those bills 18 months ago, and still, zero rupees have come through. It’s a disgrace. If this drags on, we’ll spark a statewide agitation. The government should know: ignore us, and its own stability could shake.”
The pensioners made it clear they’re ready to escalate. They plan to intensify actions in the weeks ahead and launch a full statewide movement if their demands for timely HRTC pensions and support go unmet.
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