Retired civic staff protest pension delay

BENGALURU: Hundreds of retired employees of the Bengaluru Municipal Corporation, earlier known as the BBMP and now restructured as the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), staged a protest at the GBA headquarters on Monday over the delay in receiving their monthly pensions. Responding to the protest, GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao visited the site and assured the protesters that the pending pension amounts would be credited to their bank accounts within two days. C. Nagaraj, General Secretary of the Retired Employees Association of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, said the delay was due to administrative changes following the transition from BBMP to GBA. He also alleged that when the association members approached Special Commissioner (Finance) Harish Kumar, they were humiliated. Enraged by the delay and the officers behaviour, we sat on the steps of the GBA head office in protest. The Chief Commissioner joined us, held a dialogue, and ordered immediate clearance of files. He assured us that by Wednesday, all members would receive their pension amounts, said Nagaraj. The protest was later called off after the Chief Commissioners assurance. The association also urged the GBA leadership to ensure that officials treat retired employees with dignity, noting that many of them have put in over 30 years of service in the municipal administration.