RAJBIRAJ: The old age has made it too difficult for them even to walk few minutes. But senior citizens of Malekpur in Saptari had to walk almost three miles to file a complaint at the District Development Committee in Rajbiraj, because of delayed old age allowance.

The delay of four months to provide them with the allowance has forced them to picket the DDC office today.

“Being sick for months without any income and fed up from daily visits to meet the VDC secretary, now we have to walk up to here," said 85-year-old Shubha Lal Dash.

Likewise, expressing the same pain, Judami Devi Yadav of Khahuriya said, “We are lied to many times.” He added that though the VDC secretary had assured to provide allowance a number of times, they were left empty-handed.

“It was already more difficult without allowance, still we have to drag our feet everyday at the VDC,” Amal Narayan Mandal expressed similar view of not getting the long-due allowance.

The DDC Planning Officer, Dhirendra Kumar Yadav, informed that the elderly did not get the allowance on time as the then VDC secretary Pradeep Kumar Karna was unable to settle the advance given to him.

The DDC has already initiated a process to take action against Karna for the same and another secretary will be sent to solve the problem, said Yadav.