Chennai: In a bid to mollify striking transport employees, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday told the Assembly that the government would release arrears towards retirement benefits to the tune of Rs 750 crore before Pongal festival and renewed his appeal to them to return to work.
Making a statement under rule 110, Palaniswami said his government has been providing financial assistance to the transport department to keep it afloat. The amount would be disbursed before Pongal festival (January 14) and it would benefit those who retired before November 30, 2017, Palaniswami said, adding that settlement of pending dues is one of the key demands of the striking workers.
In a related development, the state government told the Madras high court that it was availing a loan from a nationalised bank to pay the Rs 750 crore dues to employees.
In his statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister handed out yet another assurance to the employees that the government was committed to taking care of their interest and listed out the measures, including financial assistance, of his administration in bailing out the loss-making transport corporations.
“I am happy to announce that the Amma (late chief minister J Jayalalithaa) government will provide Rs 750 crore towards pending (dues) for those who retired up to November 30, 2017. This will be provided before Pongal festival.
The government had so far disbursed Rs 2,147.39 crore towards retirement benefits for the transport employees,” he said.
Palaniswami recalled the state government's various sops, including diesel subsidy and financial assistance of Rs 5,138.57 crore, given between 2011 and 2017, to the state- run transport corporations, whose poor financial health has been cited as a reason for the pending dues.
In 2017-18, the AIADMK government had given Rs 291.99 crore to serving employees toward DA arrears, the chief minister said. “Therefore, with most of the demands of the transport corporation staff being accepted, the workers should immediately withdraw their strike in the interest of the people and return to work,” he appealed.
