Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Employees Threaten Mass Casual Leave Over Unreleased Pay Scales

Himachal Pradesh Secretariat employees have threatened intensified protests and potential mass casual leave if the government does not address their demands for revised pay scale arrears and dearness allowance by Thursday. They criticized the government's allocation of funds to office renovations over settling their dues.

Himachal Pradesh Secretariat employees escalated their protest on Wednesday over the government's failure to release arrears of revised pay scales and dearness allowance (DA). They have given a deadline until Thursday for the government to engage in talks.

Federation president Sanjeev Sharma stated that a general meeting would be held on August 23, potentially leading to mass casual leave if no progress is made. Sharma criticized the government's spending priorities, pointing out funds allocated for ministerial office furnishings and the new office of the chief minister.

He highlighted the Rs 50 lakh spent on two ministerial offices and the Rs 19 crore approved for the chief minister's office. Additionally, Rs 100 crore is planned for a new MLA hostel, while employee demands remain unaddressed.

(With inputs from agencies.)