Security deposit of Chandigarh group home one of highest in India: UT social welfare department report

Time of India

8 hours ago

Chandigarh: Termed as 'exorbitant' by the Punjab and Haryana high court, now a report by the UT social welfare department has highlighted that the security deposit of Chandigarh Group Home for persons with mental and intellectual disabilities, Sector 31, is one of the highest in the country.
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This is the case even after administration deciding to reduce it after high court directions.
In the meeting of the governing council of the Group Home, the social welfare department submitted that only Arunima, Dehradun, has a higher security deposit than the yet-to-be operational Chandigarh facility, while five other institutions studied have much lower security deposits than the Chandigarh one. The department constituted four teams to visit/contact the group homes operational across the country to learn best practices and facilities offered by them, including the monthly fee and security charges.
According to the department's findings, in one of the group homes in Gurugram, there is no security deposit. Of the three institutions based in Bengaluru examined by the department, the security deposit in one is Rs 79,000; in the second, it is Rs 60,000; and in the third, it is Rs 50,000. The Chandigarh Home security deposit was earlier fixed at Rs 20 lakh.
The only group home studied by the department, Arunima, where the security deposit is higher than the Chandigarh Group Home, shows a major difference in the security deposit quoted by the department and by parents/guardians in a representation to the administration.
The department submitted in the meeting that the security deposit was Rs 55 lakh, but the parents quoted a security deposit of Rs 3 lakh.
Even during the governing body meeting, the issue arose regarding such a big difference in the security deposit submissions made by parents versus the department of the same institution. A senior UT official even asked the department to give a clarification on the issue, but in the minutes of the meeting, no such clarification was given.
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Meanwhile, a parent, requesting anonymity, said, "Arunima, Dehradun, has two projects - an existing group home for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities, and an upcoming group home where families decided to pool in funds for the land and building of the new project. For their currently running Group Home, they take a refundable security deposit equivalent to six months' fee. This deposit is currently Rs 3 lakh.
For the second project, where they needed to buy land and construct the building, the families interested in this project decided to contribute funds towards the cost of land and construction. This contribution is currently Rs 55 lakh per family (refundable upon exit)."
"Reduction in Security Deposit to Benefit 82% Paying Residents"
The administration has decided to stagger the Rs 20 lakh deposit as per the category of the room.
For a suite, it will remain at Rs 20 lakh; for a single room, it has been reduced to Rs 15 lakh; and for a twin-sharing room, it has been reduced to Rs 10 lakh. "This proportionate reduction would benefit 57 residents out of the 69 paying residents. 82.5% of the paying residents would benefit substantially," the department submitted during the meeting.
24 out of 37 Applications Rejected
The department received 37 applications for admission to the group home.
Out of these, 24 were rejected after screening. "The department rejected these applications mainly because the parent/guardian did not accept the terms and conditions (security deposit, etc.) mentioned in the application form. The department wrote to the parent/guardian concerned to give their consent for accepting terms and conditions mentioned in the admission form within three days, but most didn't give.
So, these were rejected," said an official.
BOX1: Security Deposit of Different Group Homes – Department of Social Welfare
Chandigarh Group Home | Rs 20 lakh (New: Rs 20 lakh/Rs 15 lakh/Rs 10 lakh)
Athma Shakti Vidyalaya, Bengaluru | Rs 79,000
Sambandh Foundation, Gurugram | No Security Deposit
Arunima, Dehradun | Rs 55 lakh
Medico Pastoral Association, Bengaluru | Rs 60,000
Richmond Fellowship Society, Bengaluru | Rs 50,000
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