Request to Mayor of Mira-Bhayander to look after the Welfare of Senior Citizens.

M.V.Ruparelia, A503 Rashmi Utsav, Near Jangid Estate & Vijay Park, Mira Road (East) Dist. Thane. 401107. M. 09821732855. E/Mail: mvrup@yahoo.co.in

To                                            Date: 5-10-12

M/s  Caitlin Pereira,

Mayor, Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation,

Chhatrapati Shivaji Road, Bhayander (West)-401101.

Sub: Welfare of Senior Citizens of Mira-Bhayander.

We welcome You as our First Citizen and give Blessings & Best Wishes for your Success in your efforts to do your Best for Citizens of our 2 Well Developed Suburbs.

As You may be aware, very recently, Mayor of BMC announced the Policy for 12 lakh Senior Citizens of Mumbai in a function attended by more than 2000 Senior Citizens at Prabodhan Thakre Auditorium on International Day of Older Persons on 1-10-12. Main emphasis in this Policy is provision of minimum 500 sq foot Day Care Centres in each Ward with various facilities for Senior Citizens and Help Desk for Senior Citizens in each Municipal Hospital etc.

We have been requesting MBMC and our Mayor to provide Day Care Centre etc as per 16 schemes of Integrated Programme of Ministry of Social Justice, Delhi since 20-1-09 through our letters dt 20-1-09 to Shri Narendra Mehta, the then Mayor and Shri Rajiv Jadav, the then Municipal Commissioner, followed by 30-40 reminders, RTI Application dt 26-12-09, Ist Appeal dt 15-2-10, IInd Appeal dt 1-6-10 to SIC, Navi Mumbai and series of 3 meetings with M.C. & Dy Commissioner Shri Panpate.  Nothing concrete has come out of these many efforts and we are told in the last meeting on 5-10-12 to approach You. We are therefore approaching You with the hope that You will consider the plight of your Elders just sitting on some verandas of Banks or Shops and passing their time. We have faith and high hopes in Women Power of our Country and their sincerity and service sense to their Elders.  

Government of India had announced National Policy on Older Persons, 1999 on 13-2-99 with the approval of Cabinet. This document is a masterpiece containing all aspects of Elders` life. Para 97 lays down that Local Bodies like Panchayats etc will be encouraged to participate in implementation of this Policy, address local level issues and needs of Elders and implement various programmes for them. They will provide Forums for discussing concerns of Elders & activities required to be provided. In para 54, it is laid down that Civic Authorities & Bodies providing Public Utilities will be required to give priority to attending to representations/complaints of Elders. Payment of Civic Dues will be facilitated. Elders will be given special considerations in promptly dealing with matters relating to transfer of property, mutation, property tax & other matters, harassments & abuses in such cases will be checked. Working Group on ``Social Welfare``(October, 2011) for XIIth Five Year Plan has laid down that all Local Bodies like Panchayati Raj Institutions must come forward & take advantage of financial assistance for various projects under the Scheme of Integrated Programme and provide various schemes in their areas. Each Local Body must earmark at least 5% fund from their untied funds for welfare activities of senior citizens. Every Local Body must play a lead role in disbursement of various welfare programmes/schemes for senior citizens. They should create Single Window for all benefits to senior citizens. They should provide Recreation Facilities like Community Centres with television, library, yoga centre etc. They should actively initiate awareness generation & sensitization programme regarding need for well being, safety & rights of senior citizens in schools & colleges. Similarly in Urban Areas, Municipalities and Corporations need to play a key role in disbursement of benefits & earmark 5% of funds for welfare of senior citizens. We enclose a Note indicating what some of the other Municipalities in the Country are doing and what each Municipality should do for their Elders.

We are informed that MBMC has recently provided 2 Community Buildings in Mira Road at Ramnagar-Shanti Garden and near Kanakia. We shall be thankful, if various facilities of Integrated Programme are provided in these buildings very early and some rooms allotted to Registered Associations and NGOs working for Senior Citizens. We request also to provide Benches on big roads and small sheds with Newspapers etc in all corners of major localities for Senior Citizens.

We shall be grateful, if whole issue of providing various facilities to senior Citizens, as brought out above is considered sympathetically, swiftly and sincerely and they are treated as respected Citizens requiring strengthening of their legitimate place in the Society and to take all actions to help them to live their last phase of life with Purpose, Dignity and Peace. We hope that You, our Daughter/Grand Daughter of some of us will take immediate action and give us time to meet and discuss various aspects.

With Blessings & Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

(M.V.Ruparelia)