Chandigarh administration proposes reduced security deposit for group home for mental health patients
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Chandigarh: On the contentious issue of the 'exorbitant' security deposit for the Group Home for persons with mental disabilities, the Chandigarh administration is finally relenting and will reduce the deposit required for admission to the home.
On the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court, the administration called a meeting of the governing body of the UTTHAAN Group Home Society on Friday to discuss the quantum of the security deposit.
"In the meeting, the administration proposed staggering the security deposit in terms of the category of the room – ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh," said Damanjeet Singh, Governing Body member (Family representative), UTTHAAN Group Home Society, who attended Friday's governing body meeting.
Currently, the security deposit amount is Rs 20 lakh for all categories of rooms.
Instead of Rs 20 lakh for everyone, the administration has proposed a category-wise security deposit. For the suite, it is proposed to remain the same at Rs 20 lakh; for the single room resident, it would be Rs 15 lakh; and for the double room resident, it is proposed to be Rs 10 lakh. The UT proposal will be submitted for the approval of the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, and after his nod, it will be submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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On May 19, the high court, terming the security deposit of Rs 20 lakh for admission to the Group Home as "exorbitant," directed the administration to reconsider it. The bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel instructed the administration to "apply its mind on the aspect of the quantum of security amount of Rs 20 lakh, which deprives admission into the said Mental Illness Home even to deserving mental health patients merely because of a paucity of funds.
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The court observed, "After hearing learned counsel for the rival parties, especially on the question of the quantum of security deposit of Rs 20 lakh required for admission of mental health patients in Group Utthaan Society and testing the same on the anvil of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, particularly Sections 18, 19, 20, and 21 of the Act, mandating every person suffering from mental illness to be treated with dignity, reasonableness, and without any discrimination, the quantum of security deposit of Rs 20 lakh is exorbitant.
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In 2018, the parents and guardians of mental health patients demanded the setting up of a Group Home for mental health patients. Though the construction of the group home was completed, it is yet to become operational.
Parents/guardians seek further reduction
On the administration's proposal, parents and guardians have sought a further reduction. A parent, on the condition of anonymity, said, "As per the latest proposal, this works out to approximately equivalent to five years of monthly fees, which is still too much.
Parents have been asking for a reduction of the security deposit equivalent to one year's fee." Parents and guardians have been demanding the security deposit to be fixed at Rs 4 lakh for suite residents; Rs 3 lakh for single room residents; and Rs 2 lakh for double room residents.
"This is broadly in line with the security deposit being taken by NGO-run Group Homes across India," contend parents.
Deposit row
In 2022, the Chandigarh administration finally decided to set up such a group home in Sector 31. The group home building was completed in 2024. In October 2024, in the first meeting of the governing body, the security deposit was fixed at Rs 40 lakh for a suite, Rs 30 lakh for a single room, and Rs 20 lakh for a double room. This was opposed by the parents and guardians. In June 2024, the administration set it at Rs 20 lakh for types of rooms.
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