Snubbed by family & cops, elderly want a room of their own

Snubbed by family & cops, elderly want a room of their own

NEW DELHI: Lakshmi Devi, a senior citizen, had exhausted almost all her options. The 69-year-old had been dispossessed of her property and a complaint to the cops drew a blank. As a last resort, she approached an NGO on Monday to lodge a complaint against her daughter, who used to misbehave with her and had turned her out of the house. Cops, who visited her house earlier, had asked her to resolve the matter or spend some time at an old-age home.

Lakshmi Devi's plight is shared by hundreds of Delhi's senior citizens, who are given short shrift by cops, the authorities and even their own children. The recent case of an elderly couple from Gujarat seeking the collector's permission to commit suicide on being abused by their son and daughter-in-law and a litany of similar complaints, have prompted the city-based Agewell Foundation to write to the Prime Minister, demanding provisions for securing the rights of elderly people.

Himanshu Rath, founder of Agewell, says the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act is not enough to ensure the safety and well-being of the elderly. He has put together 11 provisions that can help the elderly assert their rights.

"The existing act doesn't square with the reality. For instance, the act stipulates the responsibility of children and relatives towards the elderly, but what about those who don't have children or family? In our culture, those with daughters are hesitant to go and live with the girl's family. They have nobody to lean on," says Rath.

The act also aims at setting up district tribunals to hear the appeals of senior citizens, but this has not been implemented properly.

Rath finds Latika Sarkar's example very instructive. Sarkar, who died in February, waged a lengthy legal battle to reclaim her Hauz Khas property, worth Rs 10 crore, appropriated by her onetime maid and an IPS officer who claimed to be very close to her. Sarkar, who was the first Indian woman to go to Cambridge and headed the law department in DU, was shorn of her property and could win it back only in 2009, when she was 87.

"She went through hardship despite being an expert in law and backed by prominent lawyers. Imagine the plight of ordinary citizens who might not have the wherewithal to pursue the matter or the support of the media. The government should create a system accessible to them," adds Rath.

Agewell Foundation's petition to the PM includes schemes like setting up a national fund for the aged, a self-employment scheme as well as a national-level commission for the elderly on the lines of the National Human Rights Commission.

The helplines run by the foundation are having to field many more distress calls. Around 10,000 senior citizens call every day on the foundation's helpline, which operates in 610 districts across the country.   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Snubbed-by-family-cops-elderly-want-a-room-of-their-own/articleshow_b2/20142692.cms