New privilege pass system a challenge for retired railway employees in Vizag
Retired railway employees in Visakhapatnam are struggling with a new mandatory online system for privilege passes. Advocates argue the digital-only process creates barriers for elderly pensioners who lack technical access or physical mobility.
Why it matters
This highlights the 'digital divide' in public services, where modernization efforts can inadvertently exclude vulnerable populations.
The new online system for issuing privilege passes for retired railway employees, which was conceived to simplify the process, instead received a warm response, with thousands of retirees in Visakhapatnam being deprived of their entitled free travel benefits, owing to technological gaps, health issues, and physical limitations.
The retirees are now urging the immediate reinstatement of the traditional manual issuance process.
Chalasani Gandhi, a former railway trade union leader and member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC), Visakhapatnam, has urged the railway administration to reconsider the mandate. Highlighting the plight of pensioners, particularly those over the age of 70 and elderly women, he argued that the current digital-only protocol ignores the practical realities faced by the ageing workforce.
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