Thousands of Punjab government employees and pensioners gathered at Chandigarh’s Sector 39 grain market to demand payment of dearness allowance and restoration of the old pension scheme.
After the rally, participants attempted to move towards the assembly. Police used water cannons to stop them, and diversions created traffic disruption. Parents travelling to collect children from school were among those who faced longer routes.
Employee leaders accused the government of delaying a demand they said had been pending for a long time. They warned that the protest would intensify if the government did not respond. The rally therefore combined a household-finance issue with a wider dispute about trust between public workers and the administration.
A durable solution requires clarity on the arrears involved, eligibility, the financial timetable and the status of the pension demand. Publishing that information would allow employees, pensioners and taxpayers to judge the government’s position on evidence rather than slogans.