Across the country, while 60-year-olds are recognised as senior citizens, the state road transport corporations have been shying away from doing so. Even though it has been over a year since the age limit for senior citizens was brought down to 60 years from the earlier 65, the Department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens has been unable to implement the change in the state transport department, especially with respect to bus passes.
“On several occasions, I got into a tiff with bus conductors; they refuse to treat me as a senior citizen, as they consider 65 years as the bar. However, it been a year since the new legislation brought down the limit to 60 years,” says Mr Venkatesh Rao, a resident of Sanjay Nagar. The confusion on the matter has increased by the fact that though the Department of Senior Citizens issues a senior citizen card to those who are 60 and above, both the state transport corporation, the BMTC and KSRTC do not recognise 60 as the age limit. “In both the BMTC and KSRTC, the senior citizen bus pass age limit is 65 years. This is a policy decision and we can’t do anything till we receive an order from government,” said an official from the Transport Department.
States such as Tamil Nadu, Haryana,Punjab and other have adopted the 60 year limit for issuing concession passes and even the Railways has accepted 60 years for men and 58 for women to be considered senior citizens In Karnakata, even though the Department for Senior Citizens has already submitted a proposal to state government last year, no decision has been taken till now.