Son brings father to panchayat office to prove he is alive in Pathanamthitta

Pramadam: An administrative lapse forced a son to bring his 64-year-old father before the panchayat secretary to counter an official claim that he was dead.
Gopinathan Nair of Muruppel House in Madur, Elakollur, was brought to the Paramadam panchayat office on Tuesday by his son, Gopakumar. After officials admitted that an error had occurred and offered an apology, the family returned home.

The panchayat had issued a notice to Gopinathan Nair’s family directing him to produce his death certificate within three days, failing which the social security pension amount credited to his bank account would be recovered from the nominee with interest. Though dated January 7, the notice reached the family only on Saturday afternoon. Gopakumar immediately contacted the panchayat office and the ward member.

Officials later explained that the notice had been issued based on a list received from the Joint Director’s office, in which Gopinathan Nair appeared as the 24th name. However, the notice was sent without verifying with the ward member whether the person concerned was alive, causing considerable distress to the family.

The notice stated that information had been received about Gopinathan Nair’s death and that his pension benefits would be cancelled unless the death certificate and a copy of his Aadhaar card were produced within three days. On checking the records, it emerged that Gopinathan Nair had not received his pension for the past two months. The son, however, maintained that there had been no interruption in his father’s pension.

It later emerged that Gangadharan Pillai, Gopinathan Nair’s father, had passed away four months ago. When this was pointed out as the likely source of the error, the family also noted that the house number recorded in the documents was different, further compounding the confusion.