A meeting of the Senior Citizens Forum of Sainik Colony was held today under the chairmanship of O P Mangotra while Dr. (Brig) Man Mohan Harjai, Chief Administrative Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital was the chief guest on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Lt Col C D Manotra (Retd) briefed the participants about legal rights of elders in regard to their maintenance and welfare under the provisions of ‘Senior Citizens Act, 2007′ of the Union Government. Besides, the meeting also elaborated upon ‘golden rules’ for a gracefully aging. The participating senior citizens discussed the various difficulties being faced by the residents of Sainik Colony locality, such as poor sanitation and decrepit condition of the internal roads etc. Dr (Brig) M M Harjai lamented that despite Sainik Colony being one of the largest colony of the country, there is an almost absence of medical facilities in the entire spread of the colony. He stated that though an earmarked land is available for establishing a good hospital but there is no visible activity promising an early start of the hospital. He further added that the residents of Sainik Colony continue to remain victims of apathy not only at the level of society but also that of the Government, when it comes to extending the reach of medical facilities. The participants unanimously resolved to make concerted efforts on all fronts to resolve the issue of inadequacy of medical facilities; being the legitimate right of every resident. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks presented by the Chairman O P Mangotra, who assured the participants of taking all possible steps to resolve their genuine difficulties.
