Executive president of the Association of Senior Citizen’s Organisation of Pune (ASCOP) Vijay Sheth expressed disappointment over deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s failure to attend their function.
Executive president of the Association of Senior Citizen’s Organisation of Pune (ASCOP) Vijay Sheth expressed disappointment over the deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s failure to attend the 19th anniversary celebrations of the association.
ASCOP celebrated its 19th anniversary in the city on Friday at the Walvekar Lawns on Pune-Satara Road. Pawar and Pune mayor Mohansingh Rajpal failed to attend the event where they were invited as chief guest and special invitee respectively.
Expressing his disappointment, Sheth said, “We had many grievances and demands that we wanted to place them in front of the deputy chief minister and the mayor. But both are not attending the event.’’
The event was attended by the local corporator, Ashwini Kadam, corporator Medha Kulkarni and social activist Nitin Kadam. The association has been supporting the elderly in the city in various ways and raising their issues on various platforms.
The event did not just witness the celebration but members also voiced their anguish. “ASCOP does not have an office of its own. We have been holding meetings at our respective homes. We would like the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to help us,’’ Sheth said
According to Sheth, ASCOP will press for a national and state policy on elders. “We also want the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to provide concessions to citizens above 60 years. At present, the limit is 65 years,” he said.
ASCOP secretary Madhukar Pawar stressed on the importance of the elderly to be united amidst the loneliness and insecurity they face.
“We have conducted some surveys and research, which may help find answers to the problems faced by the elderly. At ASCOP we organise entertainment, sports and cultural programmes for the elderly people which enables them to come together and share things with each other,’’ Pawar said.
Speaking at the event, president of ASCOP Madan Talathi said, “The energy with which the senior citizens of the city participated in the event gives us the motivation to think beyond the fact that we are old.’’
Various senior citizens representing different organisations were awarded for their participation in various competitions held throughout the year by ASCOP. The competitions included extempore, essay writing, memory test, carom competition and other events.
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