Travelling with Senior Citizen Concession ticket.

JOURNEYS & JOURNEYS – 33

Travelling with Senior Citizen Concession ticket.

It was probably in 2003.

I had gone to certain places in Maharashtra on organisational tour and was returning to Delhi. The comrades in the last station had  said they will purchase my Delhi ticket and handed over the same to me at the time of boarding the train. It was almost 22.00 hours when the train arrived. I got in to the same and the train moved.

I found out my berth in the sleeper coach, sat down and looked at the ticket, before putting it  in to my pocket.To my dismay, I found that it was a ticket reserved as a Senior Citizen Concession ticket.   At that time 40% concession was available in tickets for those senior citizens of 65 age and above. I was not 65 and was short of a few days for completing 65. The comrade who booked the ticket had not consulted me, but have booked      thinking that I am above 65. My pure white hair might have given him that impression.

I felt very embarrassed. At that time, along with the booked ticket, you had to show the Identity Card also to the TTE at the time of checking. My real age will be clear from the Identity Card, exposing that I am not 65.  If I am caught with a wrongly purchased concession ticket, it will be a shame both to me and the union. My heart was beating fast with doubts.

After some time the TTE came, checked the ticket and identity card. He looked at me and gave a charming smile and passed on. In that smile, everything was there, that he had found out my lapse, but did not want to punish this white-haired senior citizen, whom he might have thought innocent in the matter, as truly it was. I was relieved. and went to sleep.

After a few months of this incident, the Central government reduced the age for railway concession for males from 65 to 60. The age for concession to women were already 58.

Now the BJP government has discontinued the ticket concession to senior citizens, both men and women , utilising the time of Covid. Despite much pressure from the political parties and senior citizens, the concessions are not yet restored.

V A N Namboodiri 02.11.2024