Members of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) Pensioners Association observed a one-day token fast in the city on Wednesday seeking disbursal of pending pension benefits.
About 250-300 members of the association participated in the hunger strike. S.P.Karunakaran, the association’s vice president, said about 550 TWAD pensioners are yet to get settlement of retirement dues for the past two years. Nearly ₹250 crore has been pending towards pension benefits. Some of the benefits like encashment of leave salary were given only till June 2019.
TWAD is providing water supply across the State except for Chennai through 556 combined water supply schemes. If the pending water charges are collected from local bodies and provided to TWAD, it would help disburse pension benefits to retired employees, he said.
“We have made several representations about the issue to authorities concerned several times in the past. Senior officials of the TWAD told us that the demands will be considered. We will decide about further steps after a meeting with members,” he added.
The association has nearly 6,000 members across the State.
