INDIA: Senior Citizens Unsafe In Mumbai City?

MUMBAI (The Times of India), February 21, 2008: The recent spurt in crimes by domestic servants has instilled doubt, if not fear, within many senior citizens who live alone or are overly dependent on them. And it has strengthened the resolve of those who do not employ full-time help to carry on without these aids. The managing committee of Cumballa Hill's Sukhmani Society, where Lajwanti Chhugani, 62, was killed on Tuesday, is advising members to verify the antecedents of helps and register them with the local police station. "We will strengthen security but individual members must also be mindful of their safety. Such an incident has never occurred in the society's 44-year history," society secretary Vishnu Ramnani says. But other elders in the building are unwilling to rest on assurances. "I have not stepped out of my house since Tuesday night," 75-year-old Mathuradas Bhatia, who commutes to Kandivli to attend Sanskrit classes every evening, says. "I met the victim only last week and the sight of cops filling the lobby and the lift was so shocking." Bhatia is still able to rely on his manservant though he warns others not to trust easily. Not far from the scene of crime, there is a family that does not allow itself the luxury of full-time domestic help. At 75, Heera Ghadiali cares for two ailing sisters who are in their 80s and 90s; she also manages the spacious home in this plush neighbourhood. The perception of being wealthy and her sisters' failing health make a lethal combination which an unscrupulous person may exploit. "It would be nice to have somebody young around to help always but I am wary because of the times we live in," Heera says. "So I have hired an elderly maid who comes in for a short while. I would never consider the option of a full-time servant. You can hardly defend yourself when you are awake, let alone when you are asleep," she adds. This feeling of vulnerability has driven a senior citizens' family living in Kemps Corner to take up a reverse mortgage on their flat. "They have no steady income. Moreover, their extended family has been eyeing their only asset, the house. So they have pledged it to a nationalised bank which pays them a fixed sum for household expenses each month and will take the property after the death of the last senior citizen," says financial consultant Gaurav Mashruwala who advised the option. By Bella Jaisinghani,TNN bella.jaisinghani@timesgroup.com Copyright © 2008 Times Internet Limited.