The Neelankarai police have set up a helpline for senior citizens living in the area ranging from Kottivakkam to Akkarai. Senior citizens in any form of distress, including depression, an inability to have a civic problem addressed or to have someone running errands for them, can dial 9498100174. The police are said to have introduced this helpline facility to make the seniors feel secure and wanted. By encouraging the seniors to communicate about any problem they face, the police are clearly going beyond the call of duty to help them.
Currently, the contact details of 81 seniors, who have sought assistance from the police, are available with the department. “We get two to three calls every day and we will be in a position to help more seniors,” said M.S. Bhaskar, inspector of police at Neelankarai police station. The nature of the calls received so far ranges from medical help to civic issues. One senior citizen wanted street lights to be fixed on his street, for which the police contacted the Tangedco staff in the area. Another senior wanted a taxi service to be booked from his home for him to go to Central. “We coordinate with service groups and connect them to the senior citizen in need,” said Bhaskar.
The station covers areas such as Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai and Injambakkam on East Coast Road which lie within a 12-km radii. Three policemen and three youth volunteers are there to help every three km, making it possible for the police to reach help to a senior quickly. There are questions about how effective this initiative could be. One of them is that whether the station has the manpower to attend to every request. “The Delhi police also launched a similar initiative some years ago to help help senior citizens pay their bills and access other services. However, the initiative petered out when the seniors began to seek help frequently,” says R. Muthukrishnan, counsellor, HelpAge India. He says medical help such as a visit to a hospital and getting a doctor to visit a home is the biggest help one can render to senior citizens.