Indian Express : Delhi: Tuesday,
April 11, 2017.
The Delhi
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has not conducted a single
inspection in any of the children homes in the city since 2015, in the absence
of any permanent members. This includes government-run children homes in Asha
Kiran and Nirmal Chhaya.
Asha Kiran
Home for the mentally-ill was in the news recently after 11 of its inmates died
within a span of two months, allegedly after eating spurious food. According to
an RTI reply, no inspection has been carried out in any children homes or
orphanages since September 2015, as there are no members to conduct the
inspections.
The
inspections are important considering that many homes face allegations of poor
conditions, including serving inadequate or stale food, poor hygene conditions
and abuse. The last inspection carried out at the children home in Asha Kiran
was in February 2015. At Nirmal Chhaya, the last inspection was carried out in
May 2015.
While four
members completed their tenure in July 2015, one member completed his tenure in
September 2015. Since then, only the chairperson and one consultant have been
looking into the cases.
A former
member said the inspections include checking living conditions, winter
preparedness and manpower requirement, which also encompasses visits to
government-run and private-run homes. According to the RTI reply, the
chairperson, who retired in February this year, did not make a single recommendation
to any institution between 2015 and 2017.
The body is
currently headless, given the crucial time of nursery admissions. According to
government sources, of all the complaints that the DCPCR receives in a year, a
large chunk pertains to nursery admissions and the Right to Education (RTE)
Act.
According to
the Delhi government, DCPCR is mandated to look into complaints or take suo
motu notice in cases involving violation of constitutional and legal rights of
children, and monitor implementation of laws and programmes relating to the
survival, welfare and development of children.
It is further
mandated to examine and review the safeguards provided by any law for the
protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective
implementation in the best interest of the children, and inspect any juvenile
custodial home or any other place of residence or institution meant for
children.
“The process
to appoint a new chairperson is complete. He/she will be appointed as soon as
the model code of conduct is lifted after the municipal elections. The posts of
the other members fell vacant as their terms came to an end,” a government
spokesperson said. However, no explanation for the long delay in filling the
posts was given. According to a reply filed by the government in the SC, the
file for the appointment of a chairperson has been sent to the L-G for
approval. Child rights activists, however, point out how DCPCR’s functioning
has been severely hit.
“Without a
single member on the panel since September 2015, the body has not managed to do
much. Even the chairperson has failed to make a single visit to any childrens’
home and issue recommendations to the government to improve functioning,”
Yogesh Kumar, director, Association for Development, said.
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