Members of the Senior Citizens Forum staged a demonstration in the city on Wednesday demanding restoration of consessions in railway fare.
The concessionswere withdrawn by the authorities in March 2020 citing the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of all passenger services.
Though the railways gradually reintroduced the services in a phase-wise manner, the concessions have not been restored. Nearly 50 members of the forum staged a demonstration in support of their demands. Rajendra, convenor of the Forum, said that senior citizens living on pension were unable to pay the full fare for undertaking journeys especially in these times of skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and inflation.
He said the government should understand the predicament of the senior citizens and restore the concessions immediately.
Meanwhile, sources in the railways said that concessions have been restored only for certain category of patients. The concessions for senior citizens was unlikely to be restored in view of the revenue loss incurred by the railways during the COVID-19, the sources added.
