On Friday,Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) officials conducted their checks at SOFOSH (Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospital) after having giving them temporary suspension to operate as an adoption agency. Deputy Commissioner (Child Development) Rahul More affirmed that the official was here to conduct the inquiry over allegations of overcharging patients. Deputy Director C Saraswathi was in the city representing CARA for conducting the inquiry. CARA officials had earlier maintained that the temporary suspension was slapped as the complaint was directly registered with them around six months back. The usual procedure is to register the complaint and suspend the inter-country licence. CARA officials were to come to Pune to conduct the inquiry,said officials from the women and child welfare department. However,the officials was unavailable for comment. The complaint was registered by an NRI parent for overcharging which is against the CARA guidelines. The guidelines which came into effect last year specifies that adoption fees is Rs 46,000 in the country,while fees for inter-country is $5,000. SOFOSH chairperson Suman Kirloskar had maintained that they had already responded to CARA. In July 2011,the District Women and Child Development officer Suvarna Pawar had found four girls staying at Sofosh pregnant following which she issued a show-cause notice. The matter is pending before the Child Rights Commission for action. The SOFOSHs Shreevatsa unit is an adoption agency and it cannot house women. They agency needs to take permission for housing needy women. The agency,which has been carrying out several adoption awareness programmes,is among the nine adoption agencies in the city.
