Udupi District Administration Appoints implementation officer
In the last several years, whenever the Senior Citizens were subjected to injustice by their kith and kin and the District administration in different districts of Karnataka tried to give them relief by passing necessary orders, the implementation of their decisions were inordinately delayed by the different agencies required to take steps for the purpose.
In 2014 Udupi District Administration appointed Dr. Shanbhogue the President of Human Rights Protection Foundation as Conciliation Officer and the senior citizen cases were sent to him for conciliation wherever possible. This move had considerably reduced the time taken for the enquiry.
The senior citizens in spite of their poor health and limited earnings were required to run from pillar to post. In the meantime the Respondents against whom such orders were issued, used to knock at the doors of the Honourable High court for stay of the orders in favour of the Senior citizens. Once the matter goes to the High court any favourable decision for Senior Citizens used to take several years if not decades and getting justice looked like more of a mirage. Thus the whole exercise at the office of the Assistant Commissioner in administering justice to Senior Citizens was getting nullified in reality. Even when the Human Rights Protection Foundation Udupi took up this matter with the authorities concerned at all levels nothing much came out of it.
With the decision of the udupi district administration to appoint the welfare officer of Women and Child Welfare as the implementation officer, a signal service has been rendered to the cause of senior citizens. Immediately after the issue of orders by the assistant commissioner, the police dept., the sub-registrar’s office, the revenue dept., the Municipal and Panchayat authorities have to take immediate steps within two/three working days . This is a great step worthy of emulation all over the nation. Our organization has already approached the other state and central governments to follow the example of udupi administration.
