NALGONDA:For the 220-odd elderly people, widows and also physically challenged people of Thummalapally village in Chandoor mandal of the district, getting their monthly pension is an ‘uphill’ task. They have to reach a hillock by climbing 100 steps or take an autorickshaw by spending Rs 20 even as the grama panchayat office, the place where pensions are supposed to be disbursed, is right in the middle of the village.
These 220 pensioners used to collect their pensions earlier from the grama panchayat office through biometric system. However, the biometric system has not been working for the past one month due to network problem.
When the official concerned contacted the service provider, they suggested that the biometric system will work at a high altitude in the village. Branch postmaster Yadaiah tried for network connectivity and he could get it at the Ramalingeswara Swamy temple hill, which is almost one-and-a-half kilometres away from the village.
He requested the pensioners to climb up the temple hill to get their pension amounts. Those who can afford it go in autorickshaws by spending Rs 20. But then, the availability of autos is also very less. “The auto drivers insists that at least six or seven persons travel in a vehicle or else they refuse to take them to the hillock,’’ a villager rued.
The only saving grace is that the government laid a cement road to the temple at a cost of Rs 1 crore. Autos take the ghat road to reach the temple. Otherwise, these elderly people have to climb 100 steps to reach the hillock and get the pension.
V Narsaiah, another pensioner said, “We cannot afford autorickshaws and are therefore deprived of our pension this month. We request the government to solve the network problem and arrange pension disbursement at the grama panchayat office.’’