Mumbai: Loneliness and lack of caregivers hurt senior citizens emotionally and physically the most. The BMC has taken an initiative to look after the elderly by building an old age home in the city. The civic body recently invited a tender on a reserved plot in Goregaon East. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 13.38 crore.
"It has been a long-pending demand as many seniors have no one to take care of them. Finally, the first old age home will be constructed in Goregaon East," said Vinod Mishra, ex-corporator, BJP.
In 2017-18, the BMC decided to draft a separate policy for old-age homes and care centres, hostels for students, and multipurpose housing for working women. The city’s draft development plan 2034 (DP) also includes provision for an old-age home, a crèche, and a women’s hostel to be built in each of the city’s 24 wards. As per the plan, the BMC’s old age home will be constructed on a plot near Raheja Ridgewood.
"A private trust in Lower Parel has been given 250 cottages by the BMC to accommodate elderly people. Their food and shelter is looked after free of cost. The BMC’s corporators are members of this trust. Now the BMC will build its first old age home. It is a good initiative," says Sachin Padwal, ex-corporator, Shiv Sena.
The nine-storey building will come up on an area of 602 sq metres, with the capacity to accommodate 70 people. It will have all essential and ancillary activities for senior citizens.
“There are several private old age homes in the city, but this is the first to be built by the BMC. After it’s ready, the civic body will appoint an NGO to run it under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund,” said assistant municipal commissioner Kiran Dighavkar, who is also in charge of the planning department.
The home will have a dispensary, a medical shop, and administration room on the ground floor, a day care and physiotherapy room on the first floor, a dining room, kitchen, and laundry on the second floor, and a twin-bed and single bedrooms from the third to eighth floors, while the ninth floor will have a recreation room.
"Once, while going to the office, I saw an elderly couple sitting on the footpath. I felt bad for them, and from there we came up with the idea to start an old age home. It is in the area of Kalyan-Dombivali area and is called Janiv. We not only support the elderly but also accept their entire responsibility free of cost," says Manoj Panchal, founder of Janiv old age home.
