No hope for inmates of DRC to return home

Letters sent to family members come back undelivered

Though, the DRC here has released about 140 people who wanted to go back home or to return to their places in the past one and a half months, the Centre has received negative reply to the letters that were sent to the addresses given by the existing inmates. Out of the 28 registered posts that were sent to these addresses about 14 have returned so far. 

As the number of inmates keep changing every other day, the Rehabilitation Centre now has about 71 inmates as on Oct 30. The number has drastically reduced from 214 in the month of June to existing number. Most of the inmates who were mentally sound and a few physically handicapped were released from the Centre following request to join their family.

Now, there are 58 men and 13 women left in the Destitute Rehabilitation Centre in city.
Chandrappa B Gokak, Superintendent of DRC told Deccan Herald that as per the law the Centre was not supposed to keep mentally challenged, physically handicapped and adolescents. However, many of those in the first two categories who stayed with DRC and continue to stay have no option. “Hence, we have written to the Central Relief Committee(CRC) to make alternative arrangement for the care of specially-abled people and mentally disabled inmates,” says Chandrappa Gokak.

In few cases during the release, DRC took an acknowledgement from the relatives that released inmates would be looked after well and not neglected again. Whereas, in majority of the cases, the inmates were released based on their urge to join their families, good mental and physical status. Presently, the DRC is inhabitated with those who left with no family to look after, mentally challenged, poorest of poor who have nowhere to go.  

It may be mentioned here that the Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission S R Nayak had objected to the mentally ill patients and asked the officials to make alternative arrangement for their stay and treatment.

He said the DRC was conducting regular health check-up camps for the inmates. The ailing inmates are also provided with check-up and medicines once in every fortnight, he says.