Corporate houses may be roped in to run homes for mentally-ill

“Running these homes may not be restricted only to NGOs,but other entities like corporates,technical experts,experienced agencies,etc should also be explored,” the status report,adduced in the court by DSW’s counsel,Zubeda Begum read.

The report further said normally half-way homes (temporary shelters) for mentally-ill people would be run by NGOs and other entities but in absence of their availability,their “administrative and financial control will rest with the state government”.

According to the status report,two proposals had been submitted to the Finance and Planning department and the one in which the recurring cost for running a home is Rs 1.03 crore every year could be considered while preparing the Expenditure Finance Committee memorandum.

Also assuring the court that Chief Secretary P K Tripathi has exhorted all the concerned agencies to expedite necessary approvals for setting up these homes,the report said Tripathi has also directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to submit the layout plan in respect of a plot at Narela and another “legible” copy of the layout plan of the Rohini plot. These two plots have been earmarked for setting up the half-way homes.

“The consultant,Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation was directed to submit the ownership documents in respect of the plots at Narela and Rohini to the MCD. The MCD authorities will approve and sanction the building plan accordingly,” as per the report.

The status report was submitted in the court in accordance with the last order of the court in which it had asked “the Chief Secretary to take personal interest in ensuring that the plans were duly sanctioned by the MCD.”

The court has also asked the DSIIDC “to issues notice inviting tenders for award of the construction work so that further time is not wasted and by the time plans are sanctioned,the tendering process is at an advance stage.”

Justice Sikri has also made it clear that “these are the shelters required for mentally challenged women on urgent basis and in projects like this,laxity cannot be permitted.”

The bench is hearing a PIL by a Delhi University law student,Pratibha Chopra,drawing the court”s attention towards the plight of mentally ill people in the Capital. The petitioner referred to former model Geetanjali Nagpal’s case and said there were more than 2,500 women in Delhi who are mentally ill and were not receiving any aid from the government,which had led to their exploitation.