18 June,2010 09:26 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Preetmandir's licence cancelled, Kalyani Nagar centre's kids rehabilitated after high court voices concern
A DAY after the Bombay High Court expressed concern over the welfare of the 450 children at the well-known Preetmandir adoption home, Commissioner of the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department cancelled the intra-country adoption licence of the institution.
"An order to transfer the 109 children at the Kalyani Nagar centre of Preetmandir to different institutions was issued," said Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member Jaywant Sarode. "According to the orders, 29 children will be sent to Sofosh, 23 to Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra, 14 to Mahila Seva Gram Sanstha in Karve Nagar, and seven to the Shivaji Nagar Observation Home. One child was transferred to the Girls' Observation Home in Nana Peth."
Serious lapses
Sarode said at least six children with mental and physical disabilities were found at the adoption centre, and serious procedural lapses on the part of adoption centre were found concerning these children.
The licence of Preetmandir for international adoption was cancelled some time ago by the Central Adoption Resources Agency.
Now the intra-country licence has also been cancelled, on the orders of Commissoner of WCD Bajirao Jadhav.
Jadhav asked CWC members to take custody of children at Preetmandir excluding those who are in the process of adoption. Jadhav confirmed the cancellation of licence was done on Wednesday.
'Show us the order'
When CWC members went to the Kalyani Nagar centre of Preetmandir, against which the CBI has filed an FIR, authorities at the institution demanded to see the written order from the CWD Commissioner.
Preetmandir director J S Bhasin, trustee D P Bhatia and an official, Y V Krishnamurthy, were present when the CWC members arrived, but refused to comment. Bhasin kept his face hidden, rolling up his car windows.
Before getting into the car, Bhasin even used an umbrella to hide his face.
Horror stories
With Preet-mandir's front gate locked, volunteers had to return without meeting the children.
Laurie, a United States national who would regularly come to Preetmandir to spend time with the children there, said, "The infants were kept in a pathetic condition; many times I noticed they had fallen off their cribs, resulting in head injuries.
"Many a times I had to bring to their notice that infants were in wet beds, I had to yell at the caretaker when she slapped a five-month-old to stop it from entering a puddle of urine on the floor.
"There was very little ventilation for close to 18 children kept on the fifth floor."
Another foreign volunteer, Idiana, who used to dedicate some hours for the disabled children, said a couple of children were missing.
"For a few days, Kajal and Rosy have disappeared. The authorities here have failed to give me a satisfactory response on their whereabouts.
"Gayatri, a 13-year-old girl, has cerebral palsy and urgently needs medical treatment. Monica, who is about 10 years old, is a girl who can not walk and has no control over her bowel movements. They operated on her, but the problem continues."
(With inputs from Prashant Nawagrahe)
