Wheelchair cricketers to Chandigarh Administration — Don’t snatch our home

Moving mentally challenged to Cheshire Home

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 25

The Wheelchair Cricketers Punjab president has written an open letter to the UT Administration against the Social Welfare Department for “forcing them out” of the Cheshire Home in Sector 21,

“We read that the Cheshire Home for the physically challenged is now being given to mentally challenged inmates. The Delhi Cheshire Home had withdrawn support from Gurdeep Dheer, the previous manager, in 2014 because of his malpractices and the Social Welfare Department neither helped us nor not appointed an NGO. Our NGO, Punjab Wheelchair Cricket Association, is a registered organisation and we have been staying at the Sector 21 home since it was instituted,” said Sharmita Bhinder, founder, NGOEmPOWER.

She alleged: “Since 2016, we have had no financial support help in maintenance of the house premises. We decided to make our own NGO so we could collect funds and collaborated with NGOEmPOWER for special children. For the past three years, the NGO has been helping us repair the whole building.”

“The Social Welfare Department is trying to take our home away. We appeal to the Centre to help us,” said Veer Singh, captain, Wheelchair Cricketers Punjab.

“An institute for the mentally challenged is just another false promise and we refuse to accept it with the utmost respect so if the government cannot help us, it is a request that they should not come in our way either,” said Singh.

Handicapped should be treated equally

“By announcing a change of status for the Cheshire Home, the Administration has caused more harm than good. This is not the way to help the mentally challenged or physically challenged in the city. The authorities should first provide arrangements to the physically challenged already living at the house before putting the mentally challenged people in the facility. Both should be equally treated. More thought should be put into it. We need to have more old-age homes too,” said Unita Vasishta, a city resident.

Meanwhile, UT Adviser Manoj Parida said he had already directed the officials concerned to find suitable employment opportunities for the handicapped persons so that they could arrange their own accommodation.