Senior citizens demand better accessibility to government offices in Nilgiris

Senior citizens in the Nilgiris have called for better accessibility to government offices, particularly the office of the Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs) in Udhagamandalam and Coonoor, where grievances of senior citizens are heard.

According to local residents who have visited the offices, both offices, where senior citizens’ tribunals are held, lack basic facilities for senior citizens, such as wheelchairs and disability-friendly ramps and stairs. D. Subbaiah, a resident of HPF in Udhagamandalam, aged 92, said he had approached the office of the Ooty RDO, first in November of last year, seeking help from the RDO to mediate between himself and one of his children for the construction of a toilet on his land. Mr. Subbaiah said that not only was accessing the office difficult, as it was located atop a hill along Hospital Road in Udhagamandalam, he was also made to wait six hours in the rain for his petition to be heard as the RDO was unavailable.

“Moreover, the RDO himself rarely listens to our grievances, which are instead heard by clerical staff in his office. When we approach the appelate authority, who is the collector, we are treated very poorly by her clerical staff as well,” alleged Mr. Subbaiah, stating that in most cases, their grievances are not escalated to the collector or the RDO by the staff.

Visitors to the RDO office in Coonoor too have similar complaints. A. Baby, 76, who lives in Balocola with her sister, said that she had wanted the RDO to intervene in receiving maintenance allowance from her brother.

She said that she was denied permission to meet the RDO and the collector on a number of occasions. A. Saroja, her sister, and a principal of a school in the Nilgiris, said that the procedure to assist senior citizens was designed in such a way as to discourage people from demanding their rights as per the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. “When I was helping my sister in drafting her petition at the collector’s office, I was told to step out of the office even when I informed them that she was illiterate,” alleged Ms. Saroja.

K. Vijayan, a senior lawyer and Director of the People’s Legal Forum (Tamil Nadu Chapter), told The Hindu that accessibility was an important issue, especially in a topographically challenging district such as the Nilgiris, where senior citizens and people with disabilities face even more challenges in accessing government services due to a lack of mobility. “The government needs to ensure that these offices are made accessible with wheelchairs and offices that are disabled-friendly. They could also consider delegating one official who will be present at all times to consider and help with drafting the petitions of senior citizens and persons with disabilities,” he said.

When contacted, Revenue Divisional Officer (Udhagamandalam), S. Satheesh, said that it was unfortunate that the building in which his office is located was atop a steep incline. He said that no senior citizens are made to walk up to his office and that he receives them all on the ground floor itself. “We also have a dedicated day, each Thursday, where senior citizens and persons with disabilities have their grievances heard. They are also offered assistance by the District Legal Services Authority,” he added, stating that the district administration was working hard to ensure that the grievances of senior citizens are solved in a time-bound manner.