INDIA: A day out for 40 Senior Citizens in a forest and national park

. KOLKATA, West Bengal / The Statesman / April 1, 2009 North Bengal & Sikkim Plus / Report from JALPAIGURI As part of its 125th year celebration, the Jalpaiguri Municipality in collaboration with North Bengal State Transport Corporation and the forest department today organised a day-long jungle trip for 40 senior citizens of the town. “It is a pleasure to arrange such a trip for the senior citizens. It is an initiative to provide them relief from the drudgery of daily routine life. The batch of senior citizens would spend their day in the Garumara National Park and Chapramari Forest. We are also providing them free lunch while the NBSTC authority provided the bus and the forest department would take care of the entry related matters at those two spots,” the Jalpaiguri Municipality chairman, Mr Mohan Bose, said. The municipal authorities has been mindful of the senior citizens’ health condition too and sent a medical team along with them. “Family members of those who are undertaking the trip today were concerned about their health as most are aged and not accustomed to long journeys. Assuring them, we decided to include a medical team in the trip. We are hopeful to arrange more such tours in future,” the chairman said. The civic body was constructing a senior citizen park and an old age home and both would be inaugurated on May 24. Statesman News Service