‘I Will Die Here, I Will Not Move to Another Place’
Elderly widow refuses to move from her rundown house, built by her late husband
Elderly widow Meena Khan has resisted all attempts to evacuate her from her home to a facility where she can be cared better.
The long-time Samabula resident believed to be in her eighties, said: “I will stay here until I die. My heart is here.
“This is where I started my marriage life. This house was built by my deceased husband from our meager savings. It holds a lot of memories so I do not want to move out of it.”
“I just want someone to help me repair its condition and help me with food and clothes because I am elderly and live alone.” Among those who have visited her and tried in vain to persuade her to move is Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts Rosy Akbar.
It is understood that Ms Akbar tried her best to convince Mrs Khan but she was adamant that she would spend the rest of her life in her house.
She lives alone and keeps her dog ‘Do’ by her side.
The foul smell from the stench in her living room yesterday suggested the house was not fit to be occupied because of health risks. The roof was leaking and a tarpaulin was used as a makeshift shelter to keep the water away when it rained.
Her three children do not live with
her but a grandson drops in every now and then.
“My grandson comes around to visit me and he is one of the many who bring me food and clean the compound,” said Mrs Khan.
‘Do’ is her friend and security guard. Someone tried to rob her in the home but ‘Do’ attacked the intruder who fled and disappeared. Attempts have been made to shift her to the Chanel Home of Compassion or the Old Peoples Home. But she rejected them and would not move from her Fulaga Street house.
“I just want someone to help me repair its condition and help me with food and clothes because I am elderly and live alone.” Yesterday people went to her home to give food. A lady who is a restaurant owner and a worker from the Suva City Council Depot next to her place, occasionally go in and check on her, taking food to her.
“I am grateful to people like them for always coming by and checking on me,” said Mrs Khan.
The cracked walls, see-through broken wooden floor, poor ventilation and the general dilapidated conditions of the house make it unfit for human habitation.
Mrs Khan cries as she shares her story with the
“Whether the house is repaired or not, I will not move. I am prepared to die here.”
Edited by Naisa Koroi