Nearly 185 sick/destitute persons are forced to bear with stink at a privately run Prabh Aasra, a ‘home for helpless’, at Padiala village of this district; courtesy the administration’s apathy.

 

The shelter home, which caters to the entire region, has no sewerage connection. In the absence of the service, the management of Prabh Aasra has no choice but to allow the discharge of waste water in the open. As a result, the surroundings of the home are waterlogged, emanating foul smell.

The Prabh Aasra management alleged that in spite of their meetings with the administrative authorities concerned to get the sewerage connection for the shelter home, the facility had not been provided so far.

“Our site falls under the MC limits; so the administration should not have any problem in providing us with a sewerage connection,” claimed Shamsher Singh, who runs the affairs of the shelter home. He said the project of laying the sewerage pipeline in Padiala village had begun in 2010. “The pipeline has been laid in the village but the authorities are not giving us the connection for reasons best known to them. Our repeated attempts to move the authorities in this direction have failed,” claimed Shamsher Singh.

Shamsher Singh said nearly 185 patients were being taken care of at their centre. “These patients are prone to several diseases. The matter is sensitive but nobody in the administration seems to be concerned,” he said.

Most of the destitute persons being looked after at Prabh Aasra were sent here by the Mohali administration. Even hospitals in Chandigarh, including PGI, and Panchkula, along with other district administrations of Punjab and Haryana send destitute persons here.

Jasbir Singh Bir, adviser at the centre, said after failing to get the facility from the district administration, they met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “He (Badal) has assured us of a quick action. Let us see what happens,” said Bir.

Deputy Commissioner Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu said he would get the process of providing the centre with a sewerage connection expedited.