Civic bodies to implement senior citizen policy

PUNE: The State government has issued an order to implement senior citizens friendly policy in all the municipal corporations. The State has instructed all corporations to provide quality life to senior citizens by providing several facilities to them and make amendment in their rules to ease the life of senior citizens.

On Monday, the State government issued a notification to all civic bodies to implement provisions mentioned in Senior Citizen Policy-2004. The State cabinet had approved senior citizens policy in September 2013. After that, the State government had formed a committee under the chairmanship of social justice minister for implementation of the policy. As per their suggestion, the State government has issued an order to all municipal corporations. 

As per the State, orders, all municipal corporations will have to give concession to senior citizens in property tax, provide hall of corporations’ buildings for free for conducting programmes,  make compulsory provision of old age home in big township or societies, make changes in development control rules to provide more facilities to give comfort to senior citizens and give additional Floor Space Index (FSI) to builders who provide facilities to senior citizen. 

The State government has also mentioned to the civic bodies to not sanction a building plan of new housing societies in the corporation limits if there is no provision of Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) for senior citizens. The corporation should have to instruct builders to include special facilities for senior citizen in a new building plan before approving it.

It will have to make seating arrangement in gardens and footpaths and given extra FSI for building old age homes in residential and commercial establishments. 

The government has also directed all municipal corporations to make advertisement of all senior citizens welfare schemes every three months. Corporations will make available funds on welfare schemes for senior citizens and it should be mentioned in the annual budget of corporations. 

Prashant Waghmare, City Engineer of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, “Right now, we are sanctioning building plan with an undertaking to keep the senior citizens’ friendly structure. For other State government directives, we are working on to incorporate in the rules.’ 

SPECIAL FACILITIES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
As per the State government orders, all municipal corporations will have to give concession to senior citizens in property tax, provide free hall of corporations’ buildings for conducting programmes, make compulsory provision of old age home in big township or societies, make changes in development control rules to provide more facilities to give comfort to senior citizens and give additional Floor Space Index (FSI) to builders who provide facilities to senior citizen.