Mohan Lal Verma
Himachal Pradesh High Court today slapped notice to the state regarding sad plight of severely disabled persons dumped in the old age home at Basantpur despite their not being old aged.
A Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Mr. Justice P.S Rana passed these orders on a petition taken up suo moto by the Court as Public Interest Litigation on a letter written to the Chief Justice by Sh. Ajai Srivastava, Honarary Chairman of Umang Foundation, a NGO.
The applicant had alleged that four out of seventeen inmates of the old age home, Basantpur are severely disabled but not old. They are all between forty to fifty years old but have been dumped in the old age home.
They have neither been provided compensation nor the government is giving them disability pension on the plea that they are living in the old age home.
The applicant has requested that all the disabled persons living in the old age home should be given disability pension and separate rehabilitation homes should be provided for physically disabled as well as mentally challenged inmates as old age home is not a fit place for them.
The Court directed the respondents Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Social Justice & Empowerment), Principal Secretary (Health), D.C Shimla, Director of Welfare Himachal Pradesh, District Welfare Officer Shimla, SDO (C) Rural, Shimla to file status report or reply on next date of hearing posting matter for February 25.
