The sudden closure of an Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation office in Ahmedabad’s Maninagar area and the continued locking of a disability facility at the Asarwa railway office have disrupted access to essential public services, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad.
The EPFO office, previously operating in Satyam Shivam Sundaram Tower opposite Maninagar railway station, has reportedly been shifted to the CTM area. The Maninagar premises were closed without prior public information, leaving elderly residents and other visitors who arrived for provident-fund-related work, including KYC updates, without assistance.
A notice placed on the lift door reportedly states that the PF office has been vacated and that visitors should not come there for PF work. However, the notice does not provide the address of the new office, according to the report. No official representative was available at the premises to guide visitors about the relocated facility or explain how they could access services at the new location.
The lack of information has particularly affected older people and persons with disabilities, who may face additional difficulty travelling to an unfamiliar location or making repeated visits. The report said people had arrived at the Maninagar office expecting routine services but were instead required to find information about the relocation on their own.
A separate public-service access issue has been reported at a railway office near the Chamunda Bridge in Asarwa. The facility is intended to issue travel passes for persons with disabilities, but was found locked without advance information about its closure or the expected date of reopening.
People visiting the Asarwa facility for disability travel passes were reportedly left without a clear alternative. The report also said that security personnel present at the location were unable to provide satisfactory answers about the status of the centre or when the service would resume.
The two incidents point to a common operational problem: public offices may be relocated or kept closed without providing users with timely information about alternative locations, service availability or reopening schedules. For services used by elderly people and persons with disabilities, the absence of such information can turn a routine administrative task into multiple, costly journeys.
The report said both offices remained inaccessible after the Diwali holidays, when government offices had otherwise resumed operations. It did not provide an official explanation from the EPFO or the railway authorities for the closure of the Maninagar office and the locked disability facility in Asarwa.
The immediate issue for residents is therefore not only whether the services have been shifted or temporarily suspended, but also whether clear public notices and functioning help points are available at the affected premises. The report did not specify the reopening date of the Asarwa centre or the full address and operating details of the relocated PF office.
