Endo day care centres: Plaints against Seon Trust

There have been no complaints from either parents, NGOs or from public against the day care centres for endosulfan victims at Kokkada (Belthangady taluk) and at Koila (Puttur taluk), being run by Seva Bharathi since April 2017, according to a report of Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services in Bengaluru.

The report of the directorate has been obtained under RTI by one Prajna of Bajpe.

In contrast, three complaints were filed by parents of endosulfan victims and Endo Virodhi Horata Samithi-Kokkada against Seon Ashram Trust, which was awarded the contract of running the day care centres from June 2019 onwards.

Following complaints of poor hygiene from parents, Belthangady Tahasildar Ganapathy Shastry had installed a steel drinking water container at the Kokkada centre.

On August 3, parents and members of the Samithi had staged a ‘dharna’ at the centre and had submitted complaints to Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja and Endosulfan Nodal Officer Dr Naveenchandra Kulal accusing the staff of ill-treating their children.

On Tuesday, a delegation of parents met the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S and filed a complaint accusing Seon Ashram of lack of commitment. “The total strength of endosulfan victims, children, had dipped from 30 to 6,” Samithi Convenor Sridhar Gowda K told deputy commissioner.

Rekha, a daily wager, revealed that she had stopped sending her daughter Rakshitha to the centre.

“Though I find it difficult I am happy to kwon that she is safe in the house,” she said.

Rekha accused the staff at the centre of tutoring children on declaring that everything was fine at the centre.

“My differently abled daughter, who had learnt to write the alphabets does not remember anything. Inmates are forced to clean the excreta themselves. The staff just while away the time by chatting and do not allow us inside,” said Rekha seething with anger.

Gowda told Senthil that unlike in the past, monthly health camps were not organised for the children and their parents. The drivers of vehicles ferrying the inmates have not received their salaries. When asked to install CCTV cameras at the centres, the staff had asked parents to install CCTV cameras with the money earned from selling arecanut. Gowda submitted a memorandum to Senthil and urged him to cancel the tender awarded to Seon Ashram Trust. “The day care centres should be run by the Social Welfare department as recommended by district health and family welfare department in a report submitted to Principal Secretary on October 18, 2014,” he said.

The memorandum also urged DC to clear hospital expenses of Kamala, who is being treated for snake bite in KMC hospital in Manipal.