CHANDIGARH: It has been six months since 102-year-old Duli Chand was declared dead in the papers by the Haryana Government and his old-age pension was stopped and his name deleted from records. Since then he has been running from pillar to post to prove he is alive but no official listened to him. Exasperated, on Thursday, he took out a 'Band Baja Barat' on the streets of Rohtak to prove he is alive.
A farmer in Gandhra village in Rohtak district of Haryana, Duli Chand of was born in 1920 and now owns an acre of land in his village and has a family of seventy members including six sons and grand children and great grand children. His wife died about fifteen years ago.
It was on March 2 that he last withdrew his old-age pension of Rs 2,500 per month. On April 15, he was declared dead in the papers.
"Since then I have been running from one government office to the other to prove I am alive but nobody listened to me. I have all my documents with me but I do not know why my pension has been stopped. I had to take this such a step as no other way was left to prove to the government that I was alive. Many other elderly persons like me whose pensions have been stopped have been making the rounds of government offices," he says.
So, to prove he is alive, Duli Chand took out a marriage procession on the streets of Rohtak sitting on a chariot decorated with flowers wearing sun glasses and donning the groom's attire to send a message across that he is alive as a placard read "Your uncle (Fufa) is alive (102 years)." He was accompanied by his family members and a few others.
Social activist Naveen Jaihind said, "We will make him ambassador of old people who's names have been deleted from old age pension by the government as we have received many calls from these people that they are alive but their pensions have been stopped as their names have been deleted and take up this cause."
"In the case of Duli Chand his complaint was also made to the CM-window also but to no avail," Naveen added.