Call to open day care centre for aged

Our Correspondent

Chamba, January 2

The district unit of the All-India Senior Citizens’ Forum has sought the opening of the proposed day-care centre for senior citizens in the tribal sarai building which is lying in a pitiable condition and vacant without its maintenance for a long time.

Forum district president PC Oberoi told mediapersons here today that since the tribal sarai building was located in the middle of the town, it was suggested to begin the day-care centre after renovating the existing building.

Oberoi said as far as the wellbeing of tribal people was concerned, a tribal bhawan had also been constructed at Baloo in the town.

“Through a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, we have already put up the proposal of using the tribal sarai building for the noble cause of commencing the day-care centre thereby avoiding the inordinate delay,” Oberoi said.

He said the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Society had already been formed in Chamba and had been demanding the setting up of a day-care centre or a senior citizens home in the town.

A memorandum with regard to the society was submitted to HP Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil during his visit to Chamba in August last year, Oberoi said.

He said the state government had been issuing circulars and instructions about the state policy on elderly people, which revealed that the state government was concerned about senior citizens, but nothing concrete had been done so far.

He said the state government should take steps to implement the policy guidelines framed for the wellbeing of the elderly people. He also appealed to the government to undertake the task of opening day-care centres in the state forthwith.