Court to govt: Provide old-age homes in dists within 6 months

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14

Citing the provisions under the Maintenance and Welfare of the Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, the Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state government to establish well-equipped old-age homes for senior citizens in all districts of Uttarakhand within six months.

The court also directed the government to provide beds and facilities of blood test and MRI scan among other tests for free at government hospitals for senior citizens.

Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lokpal Singh in their judgment on Tuesday observed that the state government should build their own old-age homes for senior citizens and not depend on NGOS or societies to run these. However, they made it clear that: “It shall be open to the state government to hire private accommodation, as a temporary measure.”

The Uttarakhand Government was also directed to come up with a plan for the proper management of old-age homes according to Section 19 (2) of the Act and it should be ready within a time span of eight weeks.

The judges said the government should give wide publicity to the Senior Citizens’ Act (2007). Citing rule 20 of the Act, the court directed the government to protect the life and property of senior citizens.

Significantly, the pleas were filed by two petitioners for protecting the rights of senior citizens as mandated in the Maintenance and Welfare of the Parents and Senior Citizens’ Act, 2007.

Remove encroachments in villages, state told

The state HC has directed the government to remove all encroachments from village ponds, playgrounds and common grazing land within a period of six months and also asked the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand to file a compliance report within the same period.

Expressing concern over widespread encroachments in gram panchayats, where these ponds etc. are located, Justice Lok Pal Singh and Justice Rajiv Sharma observed that the state government had failed in its duty to protect and preserve the water bodies. “The village ponds provide water to villagers, cattle and also recharges the underground water,” it was observed.

Further, the government was directed to restore the village ponds/water bodies, as they existed in 1951, when the UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act was in place.

The judges cited the Supreme Court directions issued in a related judgment and observed that no remedial steps were taken to protect gram panchayat properties. “The gram panchayat land belongs to the entire community and it is to be utilised and managed for the common good of the society,” they said.