He further said, "At this stage of my life, I can not leave my own house and settle elsewhere."

Like Sharmas, there are a number of persons in the city living lonely in posh colonies. Their children are mostly settled either in abroad or in metros. The only lifeline of these old couples is their drivers, servants and gardeners.

"We are totally dependent on our drivers and servants during the period of crisis. We are constantly living under threats as theft of cars and valuables in VIP colonies have now become a common feature," said a retired official.

In contrast, some of the old couples are fed up with the increasing demand for more money by their jobless children. Bihar Pensioners' Samaj, having a membership of nearly 2.66 lakh members in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, has received a large number of such cases.

Only last year, a retired ADM-rank official had sought a separate accommodation on the Pensioners' Samaj premises to get rid of his son. Similarly, another retired official of excise department has asked the bank not to release his pension to his son.

The Pensioners' Samaj is flooded with problems of these retired people. "At least 90 per cent such couples are either living under threat due to poor law and order situation or are upset with their jobless children," said Samaj secretary Ravi Shankar Sinha, adding the Samaj is looking into their matters.