Chandigarh residents oppose move to convert part of Group Home into facility for elderly

The decision of the Chandigarh Administration to convert part of Group Home in Sector 31 into a paid senior citizens’ home has evoked strong opposition from families of intellectually disabled persons, who say it defeats the purpose of having a specialised facility.

The Social Welfare Department on May 7 issued a public notice inviting senior citizens from Chandigarh to apply for 38 seats on the ground floor of Group Home.

Group Home in Sector 31 was envisioned as a first-of-its-kind government facility in North India under Section 19 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, which guarantees the right to community living for persons with mental illness.

The project was aimed at addressing a long-standing concern among parents of mentally challenged persons about the future care of their children after their lifetime.

In a letter to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Satish Kumar (83), father and caregiver to his son Deepak, who is living with a severe mental illness, stated that he recently lost his wife who was battling cancer.

“We have already applied for my son’s admission to Group Home. But since my wife was very unwell, and my son was helping both of us at home, he could not come for the 24x7 assessment in Mental Health Institute (MHI). Over the last two months, I wrote to the authorities for relaxation in the stressful 24x7 assessment on compassionate grounds, but received no response or relaxation,” he said.

“Now our worst fears regarding diversion of Group Home building have come true. The Social Welfare Department has openly advertised for a senior citizens home on the ground floor of the building. I am alarmed at the audacity of the department. I am at a complete loss to understand this injustice,” he said urging the Chief Justice to intervene and stop the diversion.

Aditya Rametra, an executive committee member of the Citizens for Inclusive Living, an organisation working for the welfare of people with mental and intellectual disabilities, said the move was in violation of the norms.

He said the matter was not discussed before UTTHAAN Society, the governing body constituted to oversee the functioning of the Group Home.

Dr BK Waraich, a governing body member of the UTTHAAN Society for Group Home and practicing psychiatrist, said she was disheartened to read about the sudden decision.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Waraich said the move was never discussed in any UTTHAAN Society meeting.

“There are several families in the Tricity who are waiting, some are actively seeking help of a psychologist counsellor to prepare their children and some were waiting for the day-care to start more actively. It is extremely unfair and insensitive to give such a short application window to prospective families,” she said.

“It is only logical and reasonable to keep the admissions open for Tricity residents for at least six months after this awareness programme, before opening it to all-India applicants,” she said.

She requested the Chief Secretary that the Group Home building should not be put to any other use.