DELAY IN AID TO HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS: HC NOTICE TO GOVT

The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government and the district administration for not releasing grant to the Gandhi Deaf and Dumb Residential Hostel for last eight months.

At present, there are 115 students in the residential hostel affiliated to the Gandhi Deaf Senior Secondary School, being run by the Jodhpur Badhir Kalyan Samiti in the Magra Punjala area of Jodhpur city since 1982.

The social justice and empowerment department releases a grant of ₹25 lakh every year for food and other facilities for the hostel inmates. But it has not released the grant for the last 8 months. The society running the school has been arranging food for the students by borrowing money from other institutions.

Taking suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports, Rajasthan high court Justice Sandeep Mehta has issued notices to the state government and the district collector. “It is worrying that the government is not taking appropriate steps for the welfare of deaf children,” said Justice Mehta.

The high court has appointed advocate Sandeep Shah and Aniruddh Purohit as amicus curiae in the case.

Jodhpur Badhir Kalyan Samiti president Kishan Lal Garg said the department had inspected the hostel eight months ago and found “some deficiencies”. “After that the department did not inspect (the hostel). Grant is not being released since then. Two wardens, two assistant wardens, six cooks and watchman working in the hostel have not been able to get salaries for the last four months,” he added.

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