The Hindu : New Delhi News : Child denied admission to Lajpat Nagar shelter home

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Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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New Delhi

Child denied admission to Lajpat Nagar shelter home

Staff Reporter

A 14-year-old hearing and speech impaired boy was found at Nizamuddin railway station
The NGO team was asked to get the medical check-up of the boy done

NEW DELHI: Non-government organisation CHETNA has alleged that a 14-year-old hearing and speech impaired boy, who was found at the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station this past Friday, was allowed admission in a State Government-run shelter home at Lajpat Nagar here after an ordeal of almost 24 hours.

Balram was found by a member of the NGO on Friday afternoon, following which the matter was reported to the Government Railway Police. The boy was then taken to a Child Welfare Committee in Lajpat Nagar. According to CHETNA director and Bal Adhikar Abhiyan convenor Sanjay Gupta, three CWC members were present there. They asked the NGO team to get the medical check-up of the boy done.

The NGO members requested the CWC bench to order the Lajpat Nagar shelter home to admit the boy, but they asked them to get his medical check-up done first. The boy was then taken to a Government dispensary, but no doctor was present there. He was then taken to a private clinic.

The NGO team went to the CWC office, but found that the bench was closed at 4-35 p.m. Mr. Gupta said the team then contacted one of the CWC members over mobile phone, who asked them to take the boy to the shelter-home. However, the shelter-home refused to admit the boy saying his medical check-up had not been done in a Government hospital.

He was then taken to All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and then to the shelter-home. But the staff did not admit the boy asking the NGO to bring a formal order from the CWC members.

According to Mr. Gupta, the team again contacted the CWC member but he expressed inability to do anything on the issue. After all efforts went in vain, the team took the boy to CHETNA’s office for the night-stay. Mr. Gupta said it was only after the intervention of CWC-Nirmal Chhaya chairperson Bharti Sharma that the boy was finally accommodated by the shelter-home on Saturday afternoon.

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