A meeting of the standing commission on housing and communal services, fuel and energy, transport, communications and ecology of the Bishkek City Council discussed a draft resolution on free bus travel for military pensioners.
Criteria for the benefit and age differences
According to information presented by Baktiyar Bolotbekov, director of the Bishkek City Transport municipal enterprise, the benefit is planned to be granted to law enforcement officers who have reached the generally established retirement age — 63 for men and 58 for women.
However, deputy Kazybek Ergeshov pointed to a discrepancy, noting that military personnel retire considerably earlier than the established general retirement age.
Responding to the remarks, Baktiyar Bolotbekov explained that because military pensioners have the opportunity for additional income, for example in private security agencies, it was decided to equalize all categories of citizens by age.
Position of government representatives
According to Baktiyar Bolotbekov, the decision to equalize by age is based on the fact that military pensioners may have dual income, which, he said, other categories of citizens who retire only at the established age do not have.
