State govt pensioners to hold maha dharna in Hyd today

Khammam: TheState Government Pensioners’ Association of Telangana (SGPAT) has appealed to all retired government employees to participate in large numbers in the Maha Dharna scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on Monday. The protest is being organized in response to what the association has described as the government’s persistent negligence in clearing long-pending dues owed to pensioners.

In a joint statement on Sunday, SGPAT President Pullaiah and General Secretary Rayala Ravi Kumar said that pensioners who retired nearly twenty months ago are still awaiting their pending payments. The prolonged delay, they said, has led to severe emotional distress among many retirees, with several reported deaths attributed to the mental strain caused by financial hardship.

The leaders stated that despite submitting multiple representations to senior officials, holding meetings with ministers, and staging district-level dharnas under the banner of SGPAT, the government has not taken any concrete steps to resolve the issue. “Pensioners across the state strongly condemn the government’s indifferent attitude,” the association leaders said, urging the administration to immediately release the pending dues.

They warned that the continued suffering of thousands of retired employees is tarnishing the state’s image at the national level. “The anguish, despair, and even deaths among pensioners have become a matter of shame for the state. The government must act before this issue escalates into a major statewide movement,” Pullaiah and Ravi Kumar emphasised.

SGPAT leaders called upon all pensioners to gather in Hyderabad in solidarity and make the Maha Dharna a resounding success in order to press for urgent resolution of their longstanding demands.