BALURGHAT: With the Balurghat Municipality planning to make arrangements for transport facilities for elderly people, they will no longer have to face difficulties while returning home after visiting the Balurghat Municipality for work.
The initiative — ‘Grihe Ferar Aswas,’ — (returning home safely) will be launched this week. Toto or battery-powered e-rickshaws will carry the elderly people to their doorsteps on their way back from the municipality. For the time being, a toto will be kept in the municipality for this purpose. More totos will be arranged when the need arises.
If everything goes well, the senior citizens of the city will get this service from this week, said a civic official.
Balurghat Municipality Member-Chairman-In-Council (MCIC) Mahesh Parekh said: “Many times, I see elderly people coming to the municipality and standing for hours.
They have problems returning home. Keeping this issue in mind, an initiative has been taken up, called the ‘Grihe Ferar Aswas.’”
Residents along with the elderly have to go to the municipality everyday for various tasks and at times, they do not get totos on time. Sometimes, the toto drivers are not willing to go to a particular destination with a single passenger and during other times, they demand exorbitant fares as a result of which they have to face harassment.
Anjan Chatterjee, a senior resident of Ward No. 4, said: “I heard that the municipality will arrange for transportation
for the elderly people on their way back from the municipality. It will definitely be a big help.”