Heartless kids snatch property; neglect their aged parents
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Hyderabad: A widowed mother had a flat registered in her name and it was her only property. Out of love for her only son and also the mounting pressure from him, she gifted it hoping that he would help her lead a dignified life.
However, days after he got the gift deed and flat in his name, her son threw her out and the woman was left with no option but to approach an NGO for help. They approached the division level tribunal formed under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
“For the first time, the tribunal hearing the case cancelled the gift deed and returned the flat to the mother. The revenue divisional officer who headed the tribunal, didn’t think twice before taking this decision,” said P. Shyam advocacy officer of HelpAge India.
This incident happened in Hyderabad where the awareness about laws is high. However, the reportage and follow up in many of the rural and town areas are low as many of the divisional level tribunals endowed with the implementation and creating awareness of the Act aren’t working or do not exist, experts said.
“In the Telugu states, districts like Medak, Srikakulam, Nellore are faring badly if the work of Tribunals is considered. In many divisions, the mandatory Tribunals haven’t even been formed,” said Mr Shyam.
Also, though at the district level, the knowledge about the existing law is comparatively better, the awareness level is low in rural areas, resulting in low reportage of incidents. The divisional level officers, who head the tribunals are more often than not occupied with their works and are hardly left with any time to address such social issues. “The law is very comprehensive. What is lacking is its implementation as it is still not reaching the public,” said Raza Mohammed, the acting head of Telangana HelpAge India.
Old parents are left at hospitals:
“Did something happen to my son? Is he hurt?” This was the reaction of Jayamma (name changed), an 80-year-old widow, after being left unattended at the Government Chest Hospital of Hyderabad by her only son.
She had shifted to the city two years ago, and all she could recall about her son’s house was “There were several tall buildings.”Jayamma’s son didn’t leave a single official document or any money with her and never returned. She was eventually shifted to an old-age home.
It is not a one-off case. Most government hospitals have turned into transit homes for those who want to get away from the responsibility of their ageing parents. “Osmania General Hospital’s outpatient ward has become more of a place where the elderly are abandoned. As we are left with no other option, we provide the basic medical help and call up NGOs or old-age homes to help us rehabilitate them,” said an OGH official. Apart from the hospitals, it is the railway or bus stations or crowded areas where parents are abandoned by their children.
George Rakesh Babu of Good Samaritans Trust, who rehabilitates elderly who have been abandoned in hospitals and railway stations, said “Most of the NGOs inform the police of the rescue. We register the person in the missing bureau. However, it is usually too late to trace their son/daughter or the caretaker. At times, the parents do remember the address, but prefer to stay back with those who rescue them.”
A ‘Will’ is the way to security:
Where there is a “will,” there is safety, suggest lawyers to ageing parents who have some form of property in their name. Transferring property to the children while alive might make them vulnerable to abuse.
“Transfer of property to children is one of the main reasons of the elderly being abandoned,” said P. Shyam, advocacy officer for TS and AP for HelpAge India. Still, most parents wouldn’t speak against their children, he said. As a solution to this, lawyers suggest that parents shouldn’t handover property to children while they are alive. “A Will must be prepared to distribute property. Nowadays, if a Will is not written, it becomes a never ending litigation,” said M.V. Rajaram, an advocate from Hyderabad HC.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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