The District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC), which was ‘almost dead’ for the past one year, is now all set to breathe a new life. The authorities concerned have finished all preparations to hand over the paralysed centre to a new NGO, which may help hundreds of beneficiaries under its jurisdiction who are awaiting the moment.

The Mangalore DDRC, a subsidiary of Disability Division under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, could not carry out any rehabilitation activities since August 2006 as there had been nobody to look after its affairs.

The Dr M V Shetty Memorial Trust that was managing the centre since August 2004 had conveyed its intention of coming out of the agreement in 2006, dissatisfied by the conditions of the Ministry concerned. However, they were not relieved of their responsibility as no NGOs came forward to take over the centre. Of late, though one Pavoor Education Trust decided to look after the centre, the process of ‘power transfer’ got stuck due to the delay in the permission of the Ministry.

Deccan Herald (in its City Herald supplement), dated July 14, 2007, had carried a detailed report on the miserable condition of the DDRC, which is one among the only four such centres in the entire State.

Established as per the Disabled Persons’ (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Complete Participation) Act in 2001-02, the Mangalore DDRC coming under Mysore DRC, had been looking after the needs of the physically challenged persons in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod, Uttara Kannada, Chikmagalur and surrounding areas. There are as many as 15,448 registered members in the centre, but due to the wretched situation that has been prevailing for the past one year, they have become literally helpless.

New life
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer A M Kunjappa, who is also the Chairman of District Management Team, and Officer for the Disabled Persons in ZP, Mr Puttaswamy, told Deccan Herald that all preparations have been over to hand over the DDRC to Pavoor Education Trust. 

After resolving to hand over the centre to Pavoor Trust in a DMT meeting as early as December 26, 2006, the ZP CEO had written to the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry for obtaining permission for the same on January 11, 2007. However, the DMT could not take further actions as there was no reply from the Director of the Disability Division.

“Now the authorities concerned have asked us to proceed with the formalities. The Ministry has also said that the issue of the pending remuneration of the staff can be resolved once the centre is handed over,” Mr Kunjappa informed. Mr D S Nagaral and Mr Siddalinga Prasad, the two remaining staff of the DDRC (but who are ‘missing’ from the centre) are supposed to get Rs 32,000 each as part of their pending honourarium.

Mr Puttaswamy said the new NGO will take over the centre formally within a few days, after which it has various plans “to make the institute familiar to the society”. The equipments inside the DDRC are in a good condition; they look damaged due to lack of maintenance. They can be distributed to the deserving persons once the set up is revived, he added.