CHENNAI: Strongly criticising the DMK government for failing to sanction the 14% DA hike for pensioners of the TWAD Board, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam on Monday urged CM MK Stalin to immediately sanction the hike saying that the TWAD Board pensioners retired after working on vital tasks such as implementing drinking water and drainage schemes, executing combined drinking water projects, and checking the quality of drinking water. Panneerselvam, in a statement here, said,
“For the past 51 years, the DA hike had been given to both the employees in service as well as to the pensioners. For the first time, however, the DMK government has treated those who are in service and those who have retried using different yardsticks. Perhaps, snatching away the existing concessions seems to be part of the Dravidian model. Irrespective of the model, taking away the existing concessions for the employees cannot be accepted.”