Those who served in Government jobs till retirement and their dependents are facing inconvenience in the procedure involved for ensuring pension.
As per rules, the pensioners are required to submit proof of being alive (jeevit praman patra) once a year. Only after the office receives these papers, the pension is continued in the next financial year.
However, there are no facilities for senior citizens at the Collectorate where the old and infirm pensioners are forced to stand in queue for long to certify their being alive.
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam said that this procedure is compulsory not only in Dehradun district but in all other districts.
Soon a new Treasury office will be constructed in Dehradun with proper facilities so that in future pensioners will not face any difficulty regarding washrooms and food stalls.
He also said that it is not possible to place camps in different areas of Dehradun for senior citizens due to limited staff.
Every Government pensioner knows that every year in November they have to submit proof of being alive and no awareness programme is needed for this purpose, he added.
Pensioner SC Sharma a senior citizen said, "As senior citizens, we are facing many problems in the office. Every year number of pensioners is increasing and there are no facilities for people who are not able to walk. The rules are also changing every year and we are facing difficulties in completing the official formalities. The procedure should be easy and more convenient," he added.
Another pensioner CD Bahuguna, who worked as principal of senior higher secondary, said, "We are forced to stand in a queue for long to certify that we are alive. We have been standing in a queue for the last three hours and are still waiting. The crowd is increasing every year and rules are also different from last year. This responsibility should be given to the banks in different areas from where we get our pension," he added.
Pensioner Prakash Mohini Saxena, who served the state as a teacher, said that there are no proper food stalls and washrooms on the premises.
She also said that the rules and procedure are also not easy and are changing annually. "As senior citizens we are facing many problems at the Treasury office as apart from other issues there is no medical facility available for senior citizens," she added.
AS Thakur said that senior citizens are being harassed in the office as there are no proper arrangements for those unable to walk or stand.
He also said that there is no employee for guiding or assisting the pensioners who are not aware of the rules and regulations. "The officials act carelessly while handling our issues," he added.
P Chakraborty said that facilities like washrooms and proper food stall are not accessible at the treasury office.
"Earlier it was not that much difficult but now as every year a new rule is being implemented we are facing many problems while submitting the forms," she said.
Surendra Kaur said that she is coming to the treasury office for the last 15 years to collect her husband's pension but every year she faced new problem regarding submission of documents.
There are many health issues in old age but in the office there is no medical facility available, she added.Sarla Virmani opined that the whole system at the Treasury office is wrong.
Most of the people do not follow the rules properly and disturb others standing in the queue. There should be some facilities for the old women and a different queue should be there for the people who are not able to stand for long, she added.