A scheduled meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over their demands, including release of DA arrears and restoring old pension scheme, notwithstanding, the government employees in Punjab will proceed ahead with a ‘Maha Hartal’ on Thursday.The Sanjha Mulazam Manch and Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners’ Front have called the Maha Hartal, pitched as one of its biggest agitations by government employees in decades.The strike is expected to disrupt functioning across departments, with employees in Deputy Commissioner and tehsil offices, directorates, the Punjab Civil Secretariat, schools, colleges, hospitals and other government establishments joining the agitation.The principal demand is the release of pending DA arrears, which employee unions say have remained unpaid since January 2023. The state government employees currently receive 42% DA, against 60% for central government employees and that of the neighbouring Haryana.Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Punjab government to release the pending DA. The state government subsequently challenged the decision before a double bench, which upheld the single judge’s order and directed the state to clear the arrears within 15 days. That deadline is over and a contempt petition is pending in the high court.The ‘Maha Hartal’ call, the organisers said, is limited to government departments, meaning markets, highways and private establishments are expected to function normally.Under the banner of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), Category II , III and IV employees in all 23 DC offices and 78 tehsil offices will participate. Employees in around 40 directorates and the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh are also expected to join.Story continues below this adThe agitation has received support from the farmer organisations, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM). The BJP, Congress and SAD too have extended support.The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association has extended support to the agitation.“OPDs will remain closed in all government hospitals. However, doctors will remain present and cater to emergency services and at mother-and-child hospitals,” said Dr Inder Manjit Singh, state vice-president, PCMS Association.Nursing, paramedical and Class IV employees in government hospitals and medical colleges will also participate. Jujhar Singh Mann, patron of the United Nursing Association of Punjab, said they have informed the Director of Research and Medical Education that employees would proceed on mass casual leave on August 27.Story continues below this adThe functioning of the state-run schools is expected to be affected, with a large number of teachers planning to take mass casual leave. One lakh teachers work in over 19,000 state-run schools in Punjab. Digvijay Pal Sharma, president, Democratic Teachers Front, said the exact participation would be known only on Thursday morning. Sharma said at least 80,000 regular and contractual teachers are likely to join the protest. Some teachers, particularly those on probation or nearing retirement, may opt out.PSMSU president Gurnam Singh Virk said ministerial-cadre employees in DC offices and departments including health, public works, local bodies, revenue, water supply and sewerage, social security and power would participate. “The public dealing in government offices will certainly be affected,” said Sahil Sharma, general secretary of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Employees Union.Even hospitality staff serving tea, snacks and lunch to ministers and senior IAS officers at the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh will join the strike.Transport services could also be affected, with regular employees of Punjab Roadways and PEPSU Roadways expected to participate. Sources said some outsourced employees and drivers attached to VIPs and MLAs could also join.Story continues below this adSanjha Mulazam Manch convenor Sukhchain Khehra said the agitation was directed at the government and not the general public.The coordination committee of the Sanjha Mulazam Manch and the Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners Front is scheduled to meet CM Mann in Chandigarh on Thursday afternoon. Mann is also scheduled to meet representatives of the Purani Pension Bahali Sanjha Morcha the same day.Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said employees have the right to protest, “but the Chief Minister is reaching out to the employees and I am sure something positive will come out of his meeting with the employees’ union members”.On DA arrears, Cheema said previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments had left Rs 14,161 crore in arrears. The AAP government, he said, had submitted a proposal before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and had so far paid around Rs 5,000-6,000 crore, with the remaining arrears to be released soon.Story continues below this adAssembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the government had taken several welfare measures for employees and the wider population. “We are doing all the welfare measures for employees and the masses overall which no other government in the past had done. However, employees have the right to protest and we are here to hear them out. Everything will be resolved,” he said.State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said the employees and pensioners have been compelled to take this step after the prolonged denial of their legitimate dues. “It is deeply unfortunate and painful that despite repeated judicial pronouncements, the AAP government continues to disregard the legitimate claims of its employees and pensioners. Such an attitude reflects the government’s insensitivity towards those who served the state for decades,” Dhillon said.He demanded that the AAP government immediately release all pending DA and honour the directions of the courts without any further delay.Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said the protest reflects the growing frustration among employees who have repeatedly been ignored by the Aam Aadmi Party government. “When Bhagwant Mann first came to the Punjab Civil Secretariat as Chief Minister, government employees welcomed him with flower petals. Today, those very employees are being forced to take to the streets and courts to secure their legitimate rights,” said Bajwa, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha,