Panaji (Goa)  Goa government is contemplating to move a legislation making it mandatory for the people to respect and abide the rules regarding Senior Citizens in the public places, which are grossly violated.

State government has also expressed the possibility of providing financial help to the NGOs working with the senior citizens, if they want to take care of the aged with psychological issues.

“There are several rules which are formed to make life of senior citizens easy. There is reservation in seat in the public transport (buses). But many a times people don’t respect these rules,” State Social Welfare Department minister Pandurang Madkaikar said addressing a function to mark Senior Citizens Day here.

He said that the State government is thinking of moving a legislation making it as an offence, if rules related to Senior Citizens are not respected. “When there will be a fear of getting booked or punishment, automatically people will start abiding these rules,” the minister said.

Madkaikar said that Social Welfare department has already issued a circular to all the departments ordering them to give priority to Senior Citizens in the queue or other works.

“You need not stand in a queue to get ticket of Kadamba bus (State run public transport service). Or when you go to any department you can jump the queue and get to the window,” he said.

During the event, the minister circulated copies of circular to the Senior Citizens asking them to show it to those government officers who don’t give priority to them.

Responding to a worry expressed by a senior citizen about the aged person who is with the psychological issue, Madkaikar said that NGOs working in the field can be helped financially by the State government to take care of such people.

“We can involve the NGOs in such activity as no one is ready to take care of the aged person if he has psychological issues,” the minister added