Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 5: Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir and Justice Tashi Rabstan has directed the Chief Secretary to pass necessary orders to implement the recommendations made by a committee vis-à-vis providing better facilities to the inmates of the Old Age Home within a period of three weeks and file compliance report.
The direction was passed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Viklang Chattra Trust. The DB also directed the committee, which was constituted in compliance to the earlier directions, to give status of the building condition in which the old age home is housed at Ambphalla. The Government was further directed to furnish details as to how many Old Age Homes are existing and functioning in other districts of the State and their status.
In the status report filed by the Chief Secretary in compliance to the earlier order, it has been stated that “No grant-in-aid” was given to the Old Age Home by the Social Welfare Department during the year 2012-13 and what was given in the previous years was quite paltry.
Keeping in view the services being rendered by the Old Age Home, the Committee has recommended that an annual grant of Rs 5 lakh be provided to the Old Age Home by the Social Welfare Department to meet its requirements. The Secretary of the Society emphasised the need for engaging two more attendants to look after the inmates particularly those who are not able to take care of their personal hygiene.
“The committee has advised the Secretary to engage additional hands using the enhanced grant-in-aid recommended by it. Similarly, the Secretary of the Society was advised to engage security guards from a private security agency for watch and ward of the home”, the status report said, adding “the committee has also suggested that a Physician Specialist should be included in the School Health Check Up team tasked with medical care of inmates of the Old Age Home by the Director, Health Services, Jammu”.
“The team should visit the home twice a week and the Physician Specialist should be available on call in case of emergency. Whenever a sick inmate is required to be referred to the Government Medical College or Sarwal Hospital, ambulance to ferry the patient (inmate) should be provided by the Medical Superintendent, GMC, Jammu/Director, Health Services Jammu as and when requisitioned by the Secretary of the Home”, the committee has further recommended.
Moreover, the committee has stressed that whenever any inmate is admitted in the GMC/Sarwal Hospital, a Nursing Orderly (attendant) should be provided by the concerned institution to attend to the patient as the Society finds it difficult to provide attendants to look after the inmates admitted in the GMC/Sarwal Hospital.
“The inmates should be taken out for an outing once every year by the Society for which logistical help should be provided by the Social Welfare Department. Dal or seasonal vegetable be added to the dinner menu to make it at par with the lunch menu”, the committee has further recommended.
After hearing Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi with Advocates Ravi Abrol and Mohsin Bhat for the PIL whereas Senior AAG Gagan Basotra for the State, DB questioned what steps the Government has taken to implement these recommendations.
“As per the status/compliance report Government has not made any allocation under the head ‘Grant-in-aid’ for the year 2012-13. While going through status reports, it appears that the Society has given break-up of the budgetary requirements from the year 2007 till 2012, but the Government is not sanctioning the amount, instead only minimum of the amount stands sanctioned/granted”, the DB said.
“Though Director Health Services has also submitted the status report but the same is not in tune with the status report submitted by the Chief Secretary. It has also been stated that the building, in which the Old Age Home is housed, is in a dilapidated condition and it is very difficult for the inmates to live there comfortably”, the DB further observed.
On this, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi submitted that the Government has only given details about the Old Age Home at Ambphalla and has not given any details about other Old Age Homes existing in other districts of the State.
Upon this, Division Bench issued various directions to the Chief Secretary.
Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir and Justice Tashi Rabstan has directed the Chief Secretary to pass necessary orders to implement the recommendations made by a committee vis-à-vis providing better facilities to the inmates of the Old Age Home within a period of three weeks and file compliance report.
The direction was passed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Viklang Chattra Trust. The DB also directed the committee, which was constituted in compliance to the earlier directions, to give status of the building condition in which the old age home is housed at Ambphalla. The Government was further directed to furnish details as to how many Old Age Homes are existing and functioning in other districts of the State and their status.
In the status report filed by the Chief Secretary in compliance to the earlier order, it has been stated that “No grant-in-aid” was given to the Old Age Home by the Social Welfare Department during the year 2012-13 and what was given in the previous years was quite paltry.
Keeping in view the services being rendered by the Old Age Home, the Committee has recommended that an annual grant of Rs 5 lakh be provided to the Old Age Home by the Social Welfare Department to meet its requirements. The Secretary of the Society emphasised the need for engaging two more attendants to look after the inmates particularly those who are not able to take care of their personal hygiene.
“The committee has advised the Secretary to engage additional hands using the enhanced grant-in-aid recommended by it. Similarly, the Secretary of the Society was advised to engage security guards from a private security agency for watch and ward of the home”, the status report said, adding “the committee has also suggested that a Physician Specialist should be included in the School Health Check Up team tasked with medical care of inmates of the Old Age Home by the Director, Health Services, Jammu”.
“The team should visit the home twice a week and the Physician Specialist should be available on call in case of emergency. Whenever a sick inmate is required to be referred to the Government Medical College or Sarwal Hospital, ambulance to ferry the patient (inmate) should be provided by the Medical Superintendent, GMC, Jammu/Director, Health Services Jammu as and when requisitioned by the Secretary of the Home”, the committee has further recommended.
Moreover, the committee has stressed that whenever any inmate is admitted in the GMC/Sarwal Hospital, a Nursing Orderly (attendant) should be provided by the concerned institution to attend to the patient as the Society finds it difficult to provide attendants to look after the inmates admitted in the GMC/Sarwal Hospital.
“The inmates should be taken out for an outing once every year by the Society for which logistical help should be provided by the Social Welfare Department. Dal or seasonal vegetable be added to the dinner menu to make it at par with the lunch menu”, the committee has further recommended.
After hearing Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi with Advocates Ravi Abrol and Mohsin Bhat for the PIL whereas Senior AAG Gagan Basotra for the State, DB questioned what steps the Government has taken to implement these recommendations.
“As per the status/compliance report Government has not made any allocation under the head ‘Grant-in-aid’ for the year 2012-13. While going through status reports, it appears that the Society has given break-up of the budgetary requirements from the year 2007 till 2012, but the Government is not sanctioning the amount, instead only minimum of the amount stands sanctioned/granted”, the DB said.
“Though Director Health Services has also submitted the status report but the same is not in tune with the status report submitted by the Chief Secretary. It has also been stated that the building, in which the Old Age Home is housed, is in a dilapidated condition and it is very difficult for the inmates to live there comfortably”, the DB further observed.
On this, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi submitted that the Government has only given details about the Old Age Home at Ambphalla and has not given any details about other Old Age Homes existing in other districts of the State.
Upon this, Division Bench issued various directions to the Chief Secretary.
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