Rajendra Prasad Sharma

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 17: Senior citizens met the newly appointed police commissioner Rajendra Prasad Sharma here today and urged the top cop to activate a cell the government had formed at eight police stations across the city to ensure their safe living.

Though the meeting centred on the Senior Citizen Security Cell, the group of elderly people also discussed with Sharma various issues related to their security.

The senior citizens alleged that though eight police stations in the city had formed the cell, they were almost defunct.

“According to the rule, there should be a nodal officer at each cell to redress the grievances of senior citizens. There have been very few interactions of nodal officers with senior citizens. Senior citizens are not secure in their house and outside as well. We urged the commissioner to hold regular meetings with the senior citizens,” said president of the Federation of Senior Citizens’ Association of Odisha Krupasindhu Sahoo.

The murder of a 68-year-old banker in Kalinga Nagar on the city outskirts in February this year had exposed the vulnerability of senior citizens living alone.

Similarly, the murder of a senior citizen couple in Acharya Vihar in September last year had also put emphasis on the necessity of an active cell.

Sources said nearly one lakh senior citizens lived in the city, but only 500 of them had so far registered under the scheme launched in 2010.

However, police officials attribute the slow process of registration to manpower shortage in the commissionerate police.

According to the scheme, the cell is supposed to ascertain the security aspects of senior citizens, especially those staying alone.

The nodal officers also need to render suitable advice to the beneficiaries of the scheme in terms of having security installations such as grill fencing, door chains, alarm bell and magic eye at their residences.

Similarly, the staff should also verify the antecedents of domestic help and tenants.

“We will hold a meeting with the senior citizens in the last week of August. We will ensure that majority of senior citizens are registered under the scheme,” said Sharma.