The killing of an elderly woman by a non local house servant in Lal Bazar area of Srinagar City necessitates changes in the service contract procedures for engagement of non local house servants as the trend of engagement of non local house servants for housekeeping services has shown an unprecedented rise in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley due to unprecedented changes in the life styles of people during last more than a decade now. The killing of an elderly woman by a non local house servant in Lalbazar area of old Srinagar city as such is by all standards of understandabilities a wakeup call for both the society taking pride in changing life styles and as well as administration particularly police discharging the duties of crime control not only in Jammu & Kashmir but also in all the states and union territories of the country. Though it is gratifying that police has done it’s job by arresting the non local house servant turned killer of the old aged local woman in a short span of few hours but the contemporary society in Kashmir needs to ponder over the introduction of changing life styles in the conduct of family matters particularly those concerning the handholding of elders including the parents and the children. Though people in Kashmir are still conscious enough to take care of their parents and as well as children to their entire satisfaction because of which the need for old age home has not arisen till now but killing of Lal Bazar Woman has proved it beyond doubt that people also show lackadaisical approach in handholding of their parents and children. The way Lal Bazar family has risked the life of elderly woman carelessly shows that people in Kashmir now even risk the lives of their parents for their own conveniences. Leaving elderly woman in the age of mid eighties alone at the mercy of a non local house servant makes no sense as the security and safety of the life of the elderly woman was by all standards of understandabilities was at risk in absence of entire family and presence of a non local house servant who by all standards of understandabilities was a stranger to both the family and as well as the immediate neighbours of the family. Such carelessness by the people is absolutely suicidal.
Housekeeping Services without safety and security measures is not a facility for the homely comforts of elders and children but it a risk of life for both the children and the elderly people who are now mostly looked after by non local house servants in Kashmir valley.
Human wisdom demands that people don’t leave their parents or children in isolation in their houses at the mercy of non local house servants who by all standards of understandabilities are strangers to both the local populations and as well as the administration including police. The circumstances leading to the killing of elderly woman in Lalbazar Srinagar necessitate the police verification of both the local and non local house servants hired by people from housekeeping service providers operating in different parts of Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley and such a police verification certificates if made mandatory for the service contract agreement between the housekeeping service providers and the concerned family could be a permanent safety measure. What matters the most is the registration of housekeeping service providers with the offices of both the district magistrates and as well as district police chiefs. Housekeeping Services without safety and security measures is not a facility for the homely comforts of elders and children but it a risk of life for both the children and the elderly people who are now mostly looked after by non local house servants in Kashmir valley.
