Mumbai: Senior citizens have been facing severe hardship due to alleged negligence in the distribution of digital bus passes by the Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) service. In protest against the plight of elderly commuters, who have been forced to stand in long queues for hours even during heavy rains to obtain their digital bus passes, the Thane District Congress staged a surprise visit to the TMT pass distribution centre located on the foot overbridge at Thane Railway Station.
During the visit, senior citizens shared their grievances with Thane City District Congress President Rahul Pingale. They complained that the pass distribution centre lacks basic amenities such as seating arrangements and drinking water facilities. They also pointed out that there is no proper shelter to protect applicants from the rain. Although digital bus passes are supposed to be issued within a month of application, many applicants claimed they have been waiting for six to seven months, forcing them to make repeated visits to government offices. Commuters further alleged that even freedom fighters are being charged for bus passes, despite being entitled to concessions.
When Congress leaders questioned the officials regarding the delays, they were informed that the responsibility for issuing the passes had been outsourced to a private company. However, the company reportedly stated that it is currently processing only 200 to 300 pass applications recommended by former municipal councillors.
Condemning what it described as gross neglect of the public, the Congress announced that it would intensify its protest. Rahul Pingale said the party would meet the Transport Manager to demand that the validity of digital bus passes for senior citizens be extended to five years and that the distribution process be expedited to eliminate unnecessary hardship.
The protest was attended by senior Thane Congress leaders Ram Bhosale, Mahendra Mhatre, Shirish Gharat, Block President Ajinkya Bhoir, Harshal Koli, Chandrakant Patil, Sharad Jadhav, along with other office-bearers and party workers.
