Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 9: Chief Justice of State High Court, Justice M M Kumar has treated the article published in Daily Excelsior on the plight of Jammu Vridh Ashram as Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and State through Chief Secretary, Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department and others has been arrayed as respondents.
After the publication of article-“Plight of Jammu Vridh Ashram” in this news paper, founder-cum-organizer of Viklang Chhatra Trust, Sat Pal Saraf laid an application before the Chief Justice for treating the article as PIL.
After going through the contents of the article, the Chief Justice, M M Kumar treated the same as PIL and directed the Registry to diarize the same as PIL, which was listed before the Division Bench comprising Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur today.
After going through the article, the DB arrayed State through Chief Secretary Commissioner, Secretary Social Welfare Department, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education Department and Director Health Services Jammu as party respondents.
Advocate General M I Qadiri, who waived notice on behalf of respondents, was directed to file present status and also an affidavit to the effect that what steps have been taken by the Government in order to safeguard the interests of the inmates of Vridh Ashram–Home for Aged and Infirm at Ambphalla particularly their right to health and dignity. Division Bench also directed Advocate General to file the status of such homes in the State by or before the next date of hearing.
The Division Bench also directed Director Health Services, Jammu to constitute a team of doctors who will visit the Vridh Ashram to enquire about the health conditions of the inmates. Director Health Services was also asked to take steps for hospitalization of inmates, if required.
In the article written by Professor VS Verma, it has been mentioned that the change of lifestyle from the traditional to a liberal, formation of nuclear families, various age related problems like declining health and income as well as emotional security are confronted by the aged people.
The article reads, “these problems were hitherto well taken care of in our traditional joint family system. But, with the erosion of joint family custom all these problems are being confronted by different categories of aged people necessitating the need for the old age homes in our society.”
Vridh Ashram, the home for the poor, helpless, destitute, aged and infirm people of the society, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, sex or region or status was established at Ambphala, Jammu in 1964 by late Ram Nath Prabhakar with the motto-“service to humanity is true worship of God”. This home was registered under J&K Registration of Societies Act in 1965. However, the home was literally adopted by Social Welfare Department in 1986 obviously for the purposes of housing the elderly people who languish for home and hearth for multiple perceptibly discernible reasons.
From one room at the time of its inception, the home has now grown to full fledged two-block buildings with the capacity to comfortably accommodate 90 people. The home has emerged as a premier centre in the State for providing humane service to such members of the society aiming to afford a respectable shelter with not only excellent boarding and lodging facilities but also free reading material, good recreational and entertainment facilities to alleviate the hardships besides medical care to the best of its means.
The Social Welfare Department immediately after adoption of the home in 1986, made provisions for monthly salary of Rs 500 to Manager, Rs 300 to Clerk, Rs 250 to cook, Rs 200 to peon and Rs 250 to Chowkidar and even sanctioned Rs 5 only for diet, medicines and incidental daily expenses to the senior citizens housed therein besides Rs 275 for clothing of inmates once in three years.
The perks may have been sufficient more than quarter of a century from now but seem to be not only too meagre, unreasonable, but quite ridiculous as on date. A number of VIPs visiting the home at different occasions were apprised of the odds faced by the administrators running the home on the basis of social service or voluntary service.
They, no doubt, had words of praise and appreciated the management of the home and wondered how the senior citizens were made to lead dignified life in spite of indifferent attitude of the Social Welfare Department and others, they made little effort or raised voice for improvement of the living standard of this class of people. To say the least, no one has so far raised the voice for ameliorating their condition monetarily.
The help being provided to the Ambphala Home by the Government since 1986 is not only insufficient, but too meagre to meet the needs of the inmates. Prices index has gone rocketing high for the past 20 years but the successive Governments never bothered to increase even a single penny.
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