Kondhwa: Legal Battle and PMC’s Development Work Leave Elderly Couple Stranded
Kondhwa, 12th April 2023: Amidst the serene hills and verdant trees off NIBM Road, lies the home of an elderly couple, the Ghadialis. With the access road to their bungalow blocked by a nearby society, the couple has been left stranded with no way out. The only route leading to their abode is a treacherous path, steep and muddy, with an uneven surface and a sharp incline that makes climbing down a Herculean task.
Zehra Ghadiali (69), lamented that she and her husband, Mansoor (79) have been living a life of solitude, cut off from the rest of the world. The situation is particularly dire as Mansoor suffers from dementia, and the risk of robbery looms large over the couple’s heads.
The developer who sold them the bungalow had promised them access to the society’s road, but that promise has been trampled upon by the construction of a wall, leaving the couple trapped in their own abode.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has dug up an open plot to widen the road, a project that has been in the works for months, causing great inconvenience to the elderly couple. They have been deprived of basic civic amenities like water, roads, and streetlights. While a few social workers have stepped up to help them with water supply through tankers and food, the couple has been completely dependent on delivery boys for their daily needs.
The couple has been fighting a legal battle for six years over access to the road. The situation has turned particularly ugly since politically connected people have advised them to sell the bungalow to them. This has made the situation more contentious, leaving the couple in a precarious situation. Domestic help Pundalik Kodre, who has been living with the couple for more than two decades, asserts that the situation has been orchestrated to force the couple to sell their bungalow at a throwaway price.
Neighbors and concerned citizens have rallied to their cause, providing medical, grocery, and water supplies. However, with both of them being very old, the situation could turn dangerous in case of a medical emergency. The PMC has been approached, but with a legal dispute going on, there is little hope of any resolution soon.
The plight of the Ghadialis is a testament to the apathy of the powers that be. While they have been regular taxpayers, they have been denied access to basic amenities, highlighting the sheer callousness of the authorities towards the elderly. The PMC should delve deep into the land records and provide them with the access road promised to them before any development happened in the area.
The superintendent engineer of the PMC, Yuvraj Deshmukh, has promised to look into the issue and ensure nothing unfair is done to the elderly couple or anyone else. However, it remains to be seen whether the PMC can deliver justice to the Ghadialis, who have been caught between the devil and the deep sea.
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