Conditions prevailing in the State’s only Residential School for the Blind in Roop Nagar, Jammu would best be explained by the phrase criminal callousness. The height of the callousness is that the top brass of the Department of Social Welfare, which is running the Residential School, is totally unaware of the prevailing conditions.
The inmates of the Residential School are now on the verge of starvation for the reason that normal funds sanctioned by the Government have not been released. The problem has happened because the Treasuries have not cleared the bills before the ending of the financial year on 31st March. As is known to all, the treasuries were without money and no bills could be cleared including those of the Residential School for the Blind. The Superintendent of the school said that they were faced with serious problems on account of non release of funds. This is the immediate problem with which the School is faced. Apart from this, overall situation in the school is not very encouraging.
The lines along which the school is to run are sound and sensible. If administration handles the affairs with a sense of responsibility, there should not be anything amiss in this crucial school, and it should not have been forced into a critical situation. If funds are released regularly, and the administration runs along the dotted lines, there shall be no reason for any complaint from the inmates. Administration needs streamlining. A mini bus was donated by an MP but it is not plying because the school could not pay Rs. 50 for the registration fee of the vehicle with the State Transport Department under rules. Similarly, a Maruti Van is also at the disposal of the School but it remains parked for want of a driver. Social Welfare Department authorities should have taken steps to provide drivers for the vehicles and make these functional.
The fact of the matter is that the Social Welfare Department has taken up a very noble cause in raising the school for the visually impaired students. About thirty students are at present on the rolls of the School. Ten among them are pursuing their education and one of the inmates is a gold medalist in Music. Each boarder of the school is provided a diet of Rs 100 per day and Rs 40 pocket money for a month besides free medicines, uniform, stationery items etc. Three permanent blind teachers take regular classes of the inmates and besides that visiting teachers also occasionally speak to the students. Besides a Superintendent, a Senior Assistant, a Cook, Helper and an Orderly have been provided by the Social Welfare Department for running the school. The staff and the students have not received their salaries and emoluments from September last. One can imagine the condition that prevails in the school under these circumstances. The staff has been trying to raise some money for the food and other necessities of the inmates out of their own pocket or by borrowing eatables from the shopkeepers in the locality. But this cannot go on endlessly. It is regrettable that the authorities at the Department of Social Welfare have not addressed the issues of the Residential School so far and have left the inmates in a state of great disappointment. It is not only violation of their human rights but also inhuman to let them starve the way they have been left. We take a strong note of this situation, and as such, we appeal to the civil society to bring pressure on the Department of Social Welfare to set right the disorderliness in the Blind School without loss of time. We cannot stand as mute spectators to the plight of handicapped persons, especially when they come from the student community. During our correspondent’s interaction with the visually impaired students of the school, he came to know that they were without uniform, stationery as well as books while not even a penny has been given to them for pocket money since January last. This is unacceptable. It should prick the conscience of the civil society and the Government must act now and here.
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