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Chandigarh: Parents protest ₹20 lakh deposit, urge one-year fee cap for Group Home
The final decision will be taken at the governing body meeting, where the executive committee’s recommendations will be considered
Parents of persons with mental illness and intellectual disabilities have requested that the security deposit for admission to the Group Home facility be kept equivalent to one year’s fee.
The parents have appealed for a one-year security deposit, while the administration has insisted on keeping it at two years.
The final decision will be taken at the governing body meeting, where the executive committee’s recommendations will be considered.
If the one-year deposit proposal is approved, the amount would reduce significantly to ₹2 lakh- ₹4 lakh, depending on the stay category, much lower than the administration’s earlier proposal of ₹20 lakh.
A public interest litigation (PIL) was also filed by the parents in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, following which the administration was directed to reconsider the deposit amount that the issue was reopened.
The parents’ concerns regarding the security deposit were discussed on Tuesday at the executive committee meeting of UTTHAAN society, which manages the Group Home.
The issue of the security deposit amount was a key point of discussion in the fifth executive committee meeting. The negotiations to reduce the deposit amount came after detailed discussions for times when a parent or guardian might be unable to pay the Group Home’s monthly charges.
To prevent any cases of abandonment at the Group Home, the committee also discussed several preventive measures, including financial declarations by parents or guardians, undertakings for regular fee payment, and an eviction plan in case abandonment occurs despite these safeguards. A member of the executive committee said that the suggestions are still at an initial stage and would need to be deliberated upon further, keeping in mind the necessary legal measures.
Parents also raised concerns over EWS (economically weaker section) cross-subsidy charges.According to the present terms and conditions of Group Home admission, a portion of the expenses for EWS residents is to be borne by general category residents through theses cross-subsidy charges. The parents have opposed this clause, arguing since the EWS quota is offered by the administration, it should bear the full cost.
