Protesting senior citizens halt traffic for hour

KATHMANDU, July 5: Agitating elderly citizens today enforced an hour one-way transport halt in front of the Min Bhawan-based Department of Transport Management in the capital to press government to address their demands.

A group of senior citizens has been protesting for thirty months with a charter of eight- point demand that includes an increment of monthly allowance, the 2011 Supreme Court mandamus directing the government to ensure provisions of 50 per cent discount on transport fare and medical facilities as mentioned in the Senior Citizens' Act- 2007, among others.


They slept on the road in a bid to halt the vehicular movement as a symbolic gesture of their protests against the government apathy towards their voices, said Senior Citizens Joint Struggle Committee Chairperson Maha Prasad Parajuli.

So far, public vehicles in Bhaktapur and Kathmandu have agreed to provide 50 per cent discount to elders in transport fare. As per the latest census, the population of the elders (above 60 years age) makes up 2.2 million. RSS

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