On the last day of the week long exercise of the High Powered Committee constituted by the Punjab government headed by the Chief Secretary Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal to meet the various Employees’ Unions of Punjab, today the committee held separate meetings with about 20 Employees’ Unions of the departments of Irrigation, PWD(B&R), POWERCOM and PSPCL to take stock of the issues relating to their grievances, demands and proposals.Responding to the point raised by most of the Employees’ Unions on the issue of the stagnation in their career, the Chief Secretary instructed the Heads of the departments to frame the service rules so as to ensure that each employee during the tenure of his government service should get at least two promotions. Likewise the Chief Secretary asked the HoDs to rationalize the norms of conveyance allowance as well as other allowances. He particularly pointed out that initially it must be acknowledged as to which cadre was entitled for claiming conveyance allowance and while making so it must be considered that those employees who remain on field duty at least for 12 days in a month should be considered for such allowances. Similarly on the issues of Pay anomalies, the Chief Secretary reiterated that such issues must be raised by the Unions in front of the newly constituted Punjab’s Sixth Pay Commission.
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr. S.K.Sandhu assured the Employees’ Unions that the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal is personally taking interest in resolving all the pending demands of the employees and he himself has mandated this High Powered Committee to minutely examine the demands of the employees and finally submit a comprehensive report with recommendations for Chief Minister’s final nod.The Employees unions were visually happy with the response of the Punjab government. They thanked the High Powered Committee for giving them patient hearing regarding their grievances and demands.Prominent amongst others who were present included, Additional Chief Secretary PWD (B&R) Mr. N.S.Kalsi, Secretary Irrigation Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu, Chairman POWERCOM Mr. K.D.Chaudhary, Special Secretary Personnel ,Ms. Gurpreet Sapra, senior officers and Chief Engineers of the all the wings of Irrigation, Public Health and POWERCOM and PWD (B&R).