HC asks MCD to handover building to Delhi govt department to shift Asha Kiran inmates

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the MCD to hand over one of its buildings of nursing college and hostel to the Department of Social Welfare to shift residents of the city government-run Asha Kiran shelter home, saying the space was urgently required.

Noting that against a capacity of 570 persons, over 920 inmates were staying at the shelter home, the high court said a new building was immediately needed to decongest the centre.

“Around 400 persons beyond the centre’s capacity are staying there. You should get a new building for this.

“It is needed immediately. That’s the priority. This is really urgent and it can’t wait,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.

The Asha Kiran shelter home, which is for the intellectually disabled persons, had recently witnessed the death of 14 inmates.

The secretary of the social welfare department told the bench that several inmates have been shifted to another shelter home.

The bench noted that Asha Kiran home houses 928 inmates against the capacity of 570 and there is an urgent need to decongest the centre and approval of the full house as well as standing committee of MCD will take considerable time.

The MCD’s standing committee is yet to be constituted.

It asked the MCD commissioner to hand over the building of nursing college and hostel to the Department of Social Welfare so that after making changes, the inmates of Asha Kiran home can be shifted.

The court noted that the department has agreed to purchase the building and the price will be determined by the MCD which will convey it in due course.

During the hearing, the secretary of the department also informed the court that most of the vacancies of medical and non-medical staff in Asha Kiran home have been filled up.

The high court had earlier asked the secretary of the department to act with alacrity in taking urgent steps, among others, for recruitment of staff, including doctors, for Asha Kiran shelter home.

It was earlier informed that there were 12 vacancies in the medical cadre and positions were vacant in non-medical cadre as well.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired high court judge to probe the

incident.