MARGAO
The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 came into sharp focus on World Elders Day on Saturday, with senior citizens and elected representatives questioning the men-in-khaki for the failure to provide relief to the elders in distress under the Legislation.
State top cop, Director General of Police, Jaspal Singh, while saying the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 is welfare legislation, where the role of civil authorities comes into play under the Act, sought to reassure the elders that the police will not hesitate to take cognizance and book violators of the provision of the Act.
At a programme hosted by the All Goa Senior Citizens’ Federation at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Saturday to celebrate World Elders Day cum Suraksha Bandhan, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and Federation President Diogo Da Costa highlighted the plight of the senior citizens when the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, is not implemented in letter and spirit.
The Fatorda MLA hit out at the government and the police machinery, saying instances are galore when senior citizens knocking on the doors of the police stations are point blank told by the men-in-uniform to approach the courts. “When the police are required to register every case against the violators under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, the police tell the beleaguered senior citizens to approach the court. This is happening because the government ruling the State is insensitive to the plight of the senior citizens. If the police tell the senior citizens to go to the court, why was the Act enacted in the first place,” Sardesai said, adding ‘one cannot expect much from this government which has been clearing the pension of the senior citizens after months’.
In his address, DGP Jaspal Singh, however, sought to put the Act in the right perspective, saying the intent of the Legislation is welfare in nature, where the role of the police comes into play only after issues remain unresolved before the designated officer.
“Cases under this Legislation come under civil jurisdiction. There’s a designated officer notified under the Act, who is expected to deal with cases of maintenance filed by the aggrieved seniors. It’s only after the issues remain unresolved, the police come into play,” DGP Singh said.
He added: “More often than not, we have come across cases wherein senior citizens do not want cases registered against their children, but only want the police to let them off with a warning. The Act provides for a fine of Rs 5,000 and three months imprisonment.”
The DGP, however, hastened to add that the police department has issued a Standing Order directing the police to register cases if the proceedings before the designated officer do not yield any result.
In his address, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat assured to take up the grievances of the senior citizens before the government for redressal. He said no government or political party can afford to ignore the plight of the elders, predicting the senior citizens will be a major vote bank in years to come.
Federation questions why cops direct elders to go to courts
MARGAO: President of All Goa Senior Citizens’ Federation Diogo Da Costa on Saturday lamented that the police are required to register cases under Section 25 & 25 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, but the men-in-uniform prefer to book non-cognizable cases and direct the senior citizens to go to the court if they desire.
He demanded to know why the police are not registering cases under the Act when Goa too has implemented the Act in the State to give protection to the elders.
“When senior citizens approach the police after their children deny them food, they do not get any relief from the men-in-uniform,” he said while making a fervent plea to the Director General of Police, Jaspal Singh to issue standing instructions to the police station to register cases against senior citizens under the Act.
