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Group home for mentally ill: Chandigarh admn to ready temporary facility in Maloya
Chandigarh administrator orders facility, comprising 16 CHB flats, to be made available for use within two months while a permanent home is set up in Sector 34
Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday directed that 16 flats at Maloya will be allocated for setting up a temporary home for the mentally ill city residents while the administration readies a dedicated facility for them in Sector 34.
The flats, to be provided by the Chandigarh Housing Board, will be equipped with all medical facilities by engaging medical and paramedical staff, including doctors, nurses, counsellors and social workers.
The administrator directed that the facility be made available for use within two months.
His directions came following requests of several parents regarding setting up of a group home for the mentally ill at Indira Holiday Home in Sector 24.
While visiting the Indira Holiday Home on Thursday to review the infrastructure and facilities available there, Purohit said a permanent group home for the mentally ill will be constructed on a plot measuring 1.25 acres in Sector 34, where a Senior Citizens’ Home will also come up.
In the interim, in view of the immediate need for a group home for the mentally ill, a block of 16 CHB flats at Maloya will be provided.
The executive body of the Indira Holiday Home Society on Tuesday had also decided to recommend the construction of a dedicated facility for the mentally ill at an alternative site, while creating a temporary facility for them.
However, Dina Singh, general secretary of Citizens for Inclusive Living, an organisation working for the welfare of people with mental disabilities, said, “The CHB flats in Maloya are utterly unsuitable for running a group home. This suggestion was unanimously rejected by all parents and mental health professionals at a meeting in July 2019.”
She added that a facility at Indira Holiday Home was first proposed by a senior UT official and the organisation had assured the administration of every help to run the place efficiently.
UT adviser Dharam Pal said the Maloya flats were only an interim measure. “A permanent four-storey facility will be set up in Sector 34 with all modern facilities. The land for the Indira Holiday Home was given for a particular purpose and can’t be changed now. Our endeavour is to enhance it, particularly for the youth-related facilities.”
Meanwhile, accompanied by the members of the executive committee of Indira Holiday Home, including the UT adviser, the administrator inspected the facility and also the preparatory school run on its premises.
He also inspected the Toy Train, which was gifted by the Indian Railways in 1966 and was in running condition till 2006. The administrator directed to take up the matter to restart the train with the railway authorities for children’s entertainment.
In a brief interaction with the senior citizens residing on the premises, Purohit checked on their well-being and enquired whether they were satisfied with the services.
