Over 2L old-age pensioners not paid

Chunia Devi, 66, a resident of Shastri Garden in Mayur Vihar Phase-I is spending nights in darkness as she does not have money to pay for electricity.

Her only source of income (Rs 1,000 per month) was the pension she used to get from the East Delhi Municipal Corporation which has been stopped for over two years now as the cash-starved civic agency don’t have funds.

Like her, there are over two lakh beneficiaries who are not getting their pension from the three civic agencies for many months now. The civic agencies say they do not have adequate funds to continue with their welfare schemes.

The High Court on Wednesday directed the city government to file an affidavit making its stand clear on Old Age Pension Scheme within three weeks. The court will hear the matter on November 4.

According to officials of the East Delhi Corporation, there are some 35,000 to 40,000 beneficiaries including old age pensioners, widows, destitutes and the disabled who are eligible to get Rs 1,000 per month under the scheme. “We could not pay them since March 31, 2013. We don’t have funds to continue with our welfare schemes. When we get funds (from the city government) we will pay pensions to the beneficiaries,” said the official.

Civil rights group Social Jurist had filed a PIL that brought the issue to the notice. “The impugned action on the part of the respondent is arbitrary, illegal, unjustified and also in utter violation of the Fundamental Right to Life of the affected persons,” it said in the petition.

Under Rule 27 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, a person over 60 years is eligible for pension. “Once old age stipend is sanctioned to the beneficiary, he/she shall continue (to get the benefit) till the fulfilment of rules and regulations. The rejection of old age pension can take place on justified reasons,” states rule 27.

“It is submitted that the Department of Social Welfare of Delhi government also runs Financial Assistance Scheme on similar lines under which beneficiaries of MCD schemes are expressly excluded,” said the petition.