‘Pay all outstanding dues to children’s home in a week’

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday directed the state to ensure all outstanding grants payable to the Home for Mentally Deficient Children at Mankhurd are paid by the government within a week and warned to take serious view of the matter if the state failed to release the amount by next Thursday. The HC observed that children’s homes cannot function without the much-needed government aid.

The bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice AM Dhavale also directed the state to clear the outstanding dues of other children’s homes also at the earliest.

The HC was irked to note that substantial part of the non-salary grant for the home, run by the Children’s Aid Society, for the financial years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 were not paid by the state, whereas salary grant (meant for the salary of the staff of the Children’s Aid Society), too, was held for a very long time.

Annoyed at the lethargic approach of the government officials, the bench said, “How do you expect this institution to function without grants? How will the institution survive? There are 150 mentally deficient children at this home …they need food and their other daily requirements also have to be taken care of.”

The report disclosed that more than half of the non-salary grants for the last three financial years and 80% advance of the current financial year was not paid.

“The report reveals shocking state of affairs at the home,” said the bench, referring to a report of visit to the home by senior officials from the Women and Child Development Department.