Kozhikode: Pensioners’ woes continued for the second day at the district treasury here on Friday as the authorities could dispense cash only to half of the elderly people who had lined up to withdraw their monthly pensions. The District Treasury Office was forced to manage the show with just an allocation of Rs.50 lakh by the State Bank of India. In a huge relief, the entire amount was released in a single instalment, helping many to draw pensions.
Officials said the total amount sought for pension and salary disbursal on Friday was Rs.1 crore. “However, we were given only 50 per cent of the sum. Naturally, the number of persons who got their pensions on Thursday was also less,” they said.
However, treasury staff claimed that they had tried their very best to ensure speedy service to alleviate pensioners’ turmoil at counters. Only selected employees, who were found capable of being fast, were posted on duty, they said.
On Thursday, the total amount sought for distribution through the district treasury was Rs.1 crore, but the SBI granted only Rs.56 lakh in two instalments. Only around 300 persons managed got their pensions amid cash crunch. On Friday too, the situation was more or less the same as the treasury could not serve more than 300 persons.
There was no end in sight for the misery of people who queued up in front of the sub treasury for pension payment at the civil station. Though it was allocated Rs.80 lakh on Friday, only 50 per cent of the crowd could be paid. The amount was sanctioned in two instalments, forcing several pensioners to wait for a long time in queues.
“People who are familiar with online and card transactions can be at ease, but that is not the case with the elderly who struggle to cope with the unexpected changes,” said V. Raveendran, a pensioner from Vengeri. He lamented that the frantic run for securing liquid cash had worsened the health of many with ailments.
