CHENNAI: After fighting their case with electricity authorities for pension arrears, the Forum for Aggrieved Pensioners of the TNEB has now turned to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for help to get their dues.N Subramanian and CN Parameswaran of the aggrieved pensioners forum, quoting government order (GO MS 579) dated September 15, 2006, said that approximately 400 pensioners are yet to receive what they call ‘residual percentage of pension with arrears’ for 20 years between 1988 and 2008. “These pensioners are in the age group of 82 to 92 years and retired before May 31, 1988,” the senior citizens said.Also, as per the GO 272 and 273 of June 15, 1998, the Dearness Allowance (DA) applicable for the 1988 to 2008 period is pending. “As regards benefit covered under orders 272, 273, the authorities say that they could not do anything ahead of a Supreme Court verdict related to this issue. They should at least release benefits under GO 579,” Param-eswaran said.The forum functionaries said they had represented the issue to the EB (now TANGEDCO) authorities many times. After exhausting all options, they say that they had now written to Jayalalithaa. “Our last hope is the CM’s intervention,” the elderly duo said.Tracing a long history when the electricity generation and distribution were still part of a government department, Parameswarn said officials like him were assured that they will be given all benefits as per government rules when the TNEB was formed on July 1, 1957. “For its pensioners, the State government has not withheld any monetary benefit. Non-payment of arrears violates the government’s promise of equal treatment when we were absorbed by the TNEB from State services,” Parameswaran rued.Arguing that by sanctioning the payment of pension arrears, TANGEDCO would only incur less than 0.1 per cent of its revenue (less than `20 crores), the pensioners wanted the government and the electricity corporation to consider their plea.
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