Title - Railway pensioners voice anger

Ludhiana : The Railway Pensioners Welfare Association today criticised the UPA government for its failure to accept recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. They said the commission recommended to included full parity to post pensioners by conversion of old pay scales to revised scales or addition of pay band to the old pay scales. Chairman Sher Singh and President SM Sharma of the body said the Fifth Pay Commission had also recommended one per cent increase per year for those pensioners having rendered more than 33 years of service and commutation after 12 years instead of 15 years."The Sixth Pay Commission had regretfully ignored all recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission, thus depriving the pensioners of their rightful benefits," they observed. Sharma said even though the railway hospital here had been upgraded, there was little or no improvement in its working. BR Dhawan, general secretary of the association, said, “The pensioners are made to pay 1/3rd of the difference of railway fare for taking the companion in the same class which is unjust."