There is a serious discontentment among the senior citizens and elderly people of Ganjam over arbitrary withdrawal of railway concession by the Union Ministry of Railways.
Different socio-cultural organisations, political parties, trade unions and intellectual forums like Gandhinagar Senior Citizens’ Forum, Manav Adhikar Surakshya Manch, Baristha Nagarika Manch, Bharat Bikash Parishad, HYVK Kendra and leaders of all political parties across party lines, except BJP, are reportedly preparing to mould public opinion against the Union Government in the matter soon, sources said.
Notably, the Union Ministry of Railways, on the sheer pretext of Corona, withdrew the benefits of rail travel concession given to senior citizens and women above 60 and 55 years respectively during Covid-19 pandemic two years back. The senior citizens and elderly people then had a hope that the rail travel concession extended to them would be resumed soon after the pandemic is over, but in vain.
Meanwhile, vice-president of Odisha Council of Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) Rabi Rath has submitted a memorandum to Union Railway Minister Aswani Vaishnaw on Wednesday requesting to resume the earlier provisions of railway travel concessions extended to senior citizens.
Denial of rail travel concessions to senior citizens and elderly people amounts to infringement of their rights, the memorandum said. But how, the MLAs, MPs and their family members, Railway employees, and members of various Boards continue to avail rail travel concessions till date, the memorandum questioned.
The Railway Ministry is reportedly contemplating to consider the travel concession in Indian railways limited to non-AC only. If it is to be limited to non-AC travel only, then why the same principle will not be applied first to MLAs and MPs, Rath questioned.