Hyderabad: Lack of coordination among various departments has led to poor implementation of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act in the state.
As per Section 4 of the Act, a senior citizen, including a parent who is unable to maintain himself from his own earnings or out of the property owned by him, is entitled to make an application under Section 5 of the Act claiming maintenance.
The government has constituted tribunals for each revenue division to hear cases and order for maintenance.
However, in five districts, not a single application for maintenance was received during 2013-16 according to the recent CAG report tabled in the Assembly, raising doubts over awareness levels of the elderly about the provisions of Act.
The Centre brought the Act in 2007, which was adopted by undivided AP in 2011 and subsequently adopted by TS government in May 2016.
Though the department for women, children, disabled and senior citizens had distributed booklets containing the Act and Rules among all the departments and officials concerned, the Act could not be enforced effectively in the absence of specific instructions from higher authorities. Even the I&PR department did not take up any publicity campaign over the implementation of Act.
The Act says, “On willingness of the applicant and opposite party on the matter to be referred to a conciliation officer who would try and work out a settlement acceptable to both parties within a month.”
However, in Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Khammam districts, of the 98 claims referred to conciliation officers, only 31 were disposed of between 2013 and 2016, while in Adilabad, Medak, Nizamabad and RR districts, none of the 69 claims were disposed of, defeating the intended purpose of quick and amicable settlement as envisaged in the Act.
In Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Warangal districts, no application was received.
