Chandigarh to set up group home for mentally ill in Sector 34

Chandigarh, March 17

UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit today visited Indira Holiday Home in Sector 24 to review the infrastructure and facilities there.

During the visit, the Administrator took a round of the premises and enquired about the total bed capacity, including rooms and dormitories.

Dharam Pal, Adviser to the Administrator, Nitika Pawar, Secretary, Social Welfare, Navjot Kaur, Director, Social Welfare, Yashpal Garg, Secretary, Health, Rajiv Tewari, Director, Public Relations, and members of the Executive Committee of the Holiday Home Society accompanied the Administrator during the visit.

After discussing the pending request of several parents regarding setting up of a group home for mentally ill persons at Indira Holiday Home with the officers present, Purohit directed that a permanent group home for mentally ill persons should be constructed on a plot, measuring 1.25 acre, in Sector 34 that is already earmarked for setting up of a senior citizens’ home, for which the foundation stone is to be laid within two months.

The Administrator said keeping in view the immediate need for a group home as requested by several parents of mentally ill persons, a block of 16 CHB flats at Maloya shall be provided for the purpose by the Chandigarh Housing Board.

This block of 16 flats shall be made as a separate enclosure and handed over for setting up of group home for mentally ill persons under the provisions of The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The Administration shall provide all medical or health facilities by engaging medical and paramedical staff, including doctors, nurses, counsellors and social workers. He said this facility should be made available for use within two months.

However, the decision to make temporary arrangements for mentally ill persons at Maloya has not gone down well with many parents of the mentally ill.

Neelu Sarin, president, Citizens for Inclusive Living, an association of persons working for the welfare of people with mental disabilities in the UT, said flats at Maloya would not meet the requirements of the persons with mental disability, as either an attendant or a parent has to stay with the patient in a room. Instead of shifting to the flats, it was better they stayed at their home, she said, adding that such persons needed community living and the flat system would defeat the purpose.

She reiterated her request for making a short-term arrangement at Indira Holiday Home till the time the new building was ready.

Reluctant to shift her child to a flat in Maloya, a mother of a special child said the Administration had given a similar proposal to make a group home for mentally ill persons at Maloya nearly three years ago and they had rejected it outright. Now, the Administration had again decided to make a stop-gap arrangement at Maloya, but they would again not shift their wards to the flats.

She said the authorities should understand the requirements of persons with mental disability and allow them to set up facilities for such persons at Indira Holiday Home. She said they would only help the Administration in running the group home in half of the Indira Holiday Home premises and the rest can be used for senior citizens by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Administrator also visited the Indira Holiday Home preparatory school and interacted with the principal and staff. Thereafter, he inspected a toy train, gifted to the society by the Indian Railways in 1966. He was apprised that the toy train was in a running condition till 2006. The Administrator directed to take up the matter to restart the toy train with the railway authorities for children’s entertainment.

The Administrator had a brief interaction with the senior citizens residing on the premises of Holiday Home and asked about their well-being. He enquired about the facilities being provided to them and whether they were satisfied with the service.