Delhi Transport Corporation has introduced nine new conditions for annual pension verification, requiring retired employees and dependants to submit additional identity documents and follow tighter deposit procedures. The changes have reportedly left pensioners travelling to depots and offices to complete paperwork, while dependant pension recipients must now submit documents at the DTC headquarters.
The new process replaces the earlier practice under which pensioners generally submitted a single signed life certificate at the office from which they had retired. According to Live Hindustan – NCR, the revised requirements have affected retired DTC employees and their dependants, with around 21,000 people reported to be connected to the pension process.
Under the new conditions, life certificates submitted at depot level must carry the signature and stamp of the relevant depot manager or unit officer before being forwarded to the pension cell. Depot officials must also check all accompanying documents and correct any deficiency or discrepancy before sending the papers onward.
Pensioners are now required to submit self-attested copies of their Aadhaar and PAN cards, their mobile number and a recent passport-size photograph for identity verification. They must also show their original pension book or pensioner identity card at the time of verification.
Life certificates will be accepted only from Monday to Friday on working days. Saturday submissions, which were reportedly accepted earlier, will no longer be taken. Pensioners who cannot visit the pension cell personally may submit their certificates after verification by a Canara Bank branch manager, along with the required documents.
The instructions also prescribe deadlines for depot-level processing. Certificates received between Monday and Friday must be sent by the concerned depot to the pension cell by the following Monday. The verified certificates cited in the report must reach the pension cell by 7 December, after which they will not be accepted under the stated procedure.
The most significant change concerns family pension cases. Life certificates for dependants, including an unmarried daughter or a son who qualifies as a dependant, will not be verified at depot level. After the documents are examined, these certificates must be signed directly by the deputy manager or the pension cell. This requirement means dependant pensioners may have to travel to the DTC headquarters rather than use their local depot.
A DTC pension department manager told the publication that retired employees or their wives could submit life certificates through any depot or their bank. The official said dependants receiving family pensions would have to submit their documents at the headquarters and described the revised process as a measure intended to improve transparency.
The responsibility for checking documents, matching details and forwarding certificates within the prescribed time has been assigned to the relevant depot managers and unit officers. The DTC Pensioners Welfare Forum has raised concerns about the revised requirements for dependants. Its general secretary, Raj Singh, said the forum had discussed withdrawal of the changed rules with pension department officials and had received an assurance that the matter would be reconsidered.
