New Delhi (Agency): On Thursday, the Delhi High Court gave the city government the “last opportunity” to place its response concerning the issue of providing free or cashless medical facilities to retired employees of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).
The court warned that if the Delhi government fails to file its reply, its finance secretary must appear in person in the court on September 19. This stern warning came from a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, who noted that the court had previously allowed time for the Delhi government to file an affidavit about actions taken in this matter, but no reply had been given.
“The matter relates to medical facilities for retired DTC employees. Earlier also time was granted but no counter affidavit has been filed. As a last indulgence four weeks time is granted to the Delhi government to file its counter affidavit in the matter, failing which its Finance Secretary shall appear in person in the court,” the bench said.
The court also stated that if the affidavit is filed before September 19, the next scheduled date of hearing, the finance secretary will be exempted from personal appearance.
This issue began to take shape in September of the previous year when the high court took notice of a letter written by a retired DTC employee. The letter pointed out that medical facilities were provided only to serving officials under the Delhi Government Employees Health Scheme (DGEHS) and not to pensioners.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) committee of the high court decided to treat the letter as a public interest litigation. The bench then issued notices to both the Delhi government and DTC, asking for their responses to the PIL.
In the letter, the retired DTC employee requested directions for authorities to provide free or cashless medical facilities to retired staff of the corporation. The letter expressed that instead of providing medical facilities, the pensioners were being paid Rs 500 per month, causing problems for thousands of retired DTC employees with regards to their medical treatment.
“If anyone suffers with serious illness, after retirement, then all earnings of the whole life will be gone at once,” the letter lamented, suggesting that cashless medical treatment be provided to pensioners instead of a fixed monthly medical allowance of Rs 500.
The retired employee also mentioned his personal difficulty in getting Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities for his son, as he was unable to show him as dependent due to receiving a pension.
The Delhi High Court’s last-chance directive to the city government emphasizes the urgency and seriousness of the issue. The plight of retired DTC employees struggling with medical expenses is a matter that has drawn the attention and concern of the judiciary. The court’s decision to grant one final opportunity to the government to respond demonstrates its commitment to ensuring the well-being of retired public service workers.