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On Monday,the Cabinet will once again brainstorm over the controversial issue of shifting the inmates of the Asha Kiran home for mentally challenged persons to two separate locations that are to be run under the PPP model. Social Welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal is vehemently opposing the move that is in the process of being implemented by his department.
The Cabinet will have a tough choice between their minister and the departments stand. The minister is against the proposal,put forward by the department,of shifting a sizeable number of the inmates from the Asha Kiran complex to two other buildings. These buildings in Dwarka and Bindapur will be given out to private firms to be run on the PPP model. The department had floated tenders after receiving in-principle approval,through which two firms Group 4 and FCS Foundation were selected. The minister,however,put his foot down and shot off a letter to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Singhals contention is that the Cabinet meeting minutes,in which the project was approved,did not reflect his views. I have spoken to the Chief Minister and she agrees with my plan. The two buildings we have in Dwarka and Bindapur are both designed for old-age homes,and cannot be converted into homes for mentally challenged individuals, the minister told Newsline.
He also added that he is not confident about the two firms selected through the tendering process. Neither firms have enough experience to handle such a project, he said.
The department,meanwhile,has moved a note,attaching Singhals dissent note this time,stating that both firms have been awarded work on the basis of the Cabinets approval. The private firms have not been given possession of the buildings yet.
Last year,52 inmates had lost their lives due to inhuman living conditions and overcrowding. There are 776 inmates still living at the facility,which was constructed for 350. Singhal insists they can manage the home without shifting inmates. We have hired a lot of support staff. There is one ayah for every 20 inmates. The infrastructure has also been enhanced, he added.
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