Mumbai, Dec. 19 -- With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections less than a month away, around 28 senior citizens' organisations on Thursday released a charter of demands, urging political parties to incorporate them into their manifestos and commit to time-bound, measurable action at the city and ward levels. At an event held at the Mumbai Press Club, the organisations released a Senior Citizens Charter of Demands, calling for the adoption of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities Guidelines in all city planning and development plans. The joint action committee representing these organisations also threatened to express its democratic dissent by voting for None of the Above (NOTA) in the upcoming civic elections if their concerns were not addressed. The WHO guidelines for an age-friendly city include sufficient public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe; sufficient public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and clearly marked; well-lit sidewalks; bus drivers who wait until older passengers are seated before moving, and priority seating on buses; and housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older. The guidelines, released in 2007, were based on consultations with the elderly in 22 countries and 33 cities, including New Delhi. Primarily aimed at urban planners, they identified the key physical, social, and service-related attributes of age-friendly urban environments that older citizens can use to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. While Maharashtra is home to over 15 million senior citizens, accounting for 11.7% of the state's population, Mumbai has an estimated 1.5 million residents aged over 60. This number is projected to rise to 2.4 million by 2031. Although Mumbai has a senior citizens policy, introduced in 2013, which includes initiatives such as Nana-Nani parks, geriatric wards, medical helplines, and accessible public infrastructure, the joint action committee said that its implementation has been "hampered by inadequate budgetary allocations and lack of dedicated administrative mechanisms." The charter demanded an amendment and an update to the BMC's Senior Citizens Policy, 2013. The organisations also demanded that 10% of the municipal budget be allocated towards senior citizens' welfare and security, that corporators be mandated to spend at least 20% of their discretionary funds on senior citizens' welfare and infrastructure, and that affordable, dedicated senior housing be provided under state housing schemes. They also sought the implementation of a dedicated disaster management policy for senior citizens. In addition, the charter demanded that 10% of beds in both public and private hospitals be reserved for senior citizens, concessional property and water taxes for old-age homes and day-care centres, and the establishment of dedicated grievance redressal and legal aid mechanisms for the elderly....