NALGONDA: Elderly parents abandoned by their children after being stripped of their properties — including the roof over their heads — are no longer willing to suffer in silence. An increasing number of senior citizens are approaching the district administration through the ‘Prajavani’ grievance redressal programme, seeking protection from their own children and restoration of their homes and property.
As many as 22 elderly couples have petitioned the Nalgonda district administration, seeking the return of their houses and properties, along with the right to live with dignity. Their decision to come forward appears to have been inspired by the recent action of district collector B Chandrasekhar, who, on June 8, ordered the restoration of a house to an elderly couple from Miryalaguda — M Ramana Reddy and Chandrakala — after evicting their son.
Acting on the couple’s complaint, the collector ordered an inquiry under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act and restored the house to them. The Telangana High Court later upheld the collector’s order after the son challenged his eviction.
The administration’s prompt intervention, coupled with the high court’s endorsement of the collector’s decision, appears to have given hope and confidence to other elderly parents facing neglect and abuse at the hands of their own children.
Parents petition for eviction of sons to reclaim dignity
Since last month, the collector has received 22 petitions — eight from Miryalaguda mandal, six from Nalgonda, three each from Tripuraram and Vemulapawonda and Chandur mandals. Several elderly parents from Miryalaguda told the administration that they had endured abuse and ill-treatment by their sons and sought their eviction from the family homes, hoping it would serve as a deterrent and help them reclaim their dignity and security.
Highlighting one such case, M Nagireddy, Field Officer for Senior Citizens, said the district administration recently resolved a dispute between an elderly father and his son through counselling. Singam Anjaiah, a retired constable from Peddadevalapalli village in Tripuraram mandal, had petitioned the collector alleging that his son, Singam Ramesh, a former BSF jawan who had taken voluntary retirement, had forced him out of his house. Following counselling by officials, Ramesh agreed to take his father back and treat him with dignity and respect.
FIR against three for neglecting mother
In another significant case, the district collector directed the Nampally police to register an FIR against three sons of an elderly woman for failing to comply with orders to support her financially.
The 78-year-old woman, Ramawat Dhooli of Mustipally village in Nampally mandal, had approached the Chandur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), alleging that three of her sons — Laxman, Dhaku and Balaji — had refused to share her medical expenses with their brother, Jagan, who had been taking care of her.
After her husband’s death, Dhooli had distributed her four acres of land equally among her four sons. When she later fell ill, only Jagan looked after her and reportedly spent nearly `4 lakh on her treatment, while the other three sons failed to contribute.
The RDO ruled in Dhooli’s favour, directing the three sons to share their mother’s medical expenses. Challenging the order, the three brothers filed an appeal before the collector. However, the collector upheld the RDO’s order and directed them to share their mother’s maintenance and medical expenses equally, warning of legal action if they failed to comply.
When the three sons continued to defy the order, the collector directed the Nampally police to register an FIR against them and warned that stricter action would follow if they remained non-compliant.
Collector Chandrasekhar said the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, are being enforced strictly in the district and warned that children who neglect or harass their elderly parents would face legal consequences.
