Years of neglect writ large on Ukl Children Home
Source: The Sangai Express / Ng Liklaileima

Imphal, June 08: It is an old dilapidated building with walls made up of wooden planks and standing there neglected for the past 28 years, but it is the home for many destitute children.

Set up under the sponsorship of Social Welfare Department, Government of Manipur, the oldest Children Home in Ukhrul district is located at Tangrei locality, half a kilometre from the district headquarters.

After getting the registration number in 1975, it started functioning from Ukhrul Higher Secondary School.

But later on it shifted to a rented house until a separate building of its own attached with a kitchen that also served as the room of the warden was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Yangmasho Shaiza in 1979.

Dilapidated children home at Ukhrul tells the story of neglect

Since then, it has been providing shelter and security to destitute children between the age of 6 to 18 years.

The inmates of the Home are those whose parents, either the father or the mother, or both have passed away, or who could not be looked after by their poor parents.

The Home has the capacity to accommodate 25 such children (boys).

But running the home with limited grant in-aid doled out by the Government, which is also not released on time, is not an easy job.

The initiative for setting up the only grant-in-aid Home for destitute children in the district, is said to have been taken up the Ningrin Club with 22 mothers as founder members.

Talking to The Sangai Express, secretary of the Children Home HA Tuithingla disclosed that 'many children are brought to the Home for admission, but as the present building of the Home is small and in a very bad condition, we could not admit them all'.

Moreover, there is no proper sanitary toilet and adequate safe drinking water at the Home, she added.

When this reporter went around to inspect the Home, it was seen that the walls are made up of wooden planks which have already started wearing out.

There are also no fencing around the compound of the Home.

But it has a vast playground surrounding with breathe taking sights and greenery all round where children can play in gay abandon.

Tuithingla informed that the amount of the grant-in-aid being provided by the Government for the 25 inmates is not enough to feed and educate them properly.

It is all the more difficult in case of sickness.

'As the grant-in-aid is not released in time, we have to borrow money by paying interest or purchase the required ration for the inmates from private shops', she disclosed.

Tuithingla further informed that the amount of the grant-in-aid provided to the Children Home is at the rate of Rs 9 per child per day, and it has been continuing for the last many years.

' Numerous appeals made to the Government for increasing the amount and discussion of the matter in the State Assembly sittings has come to nought and till date Government has not taken up any measures in this regard', she lamented.

Tuithingla disclosed that many of the children who have taken shelter at this Home have grown up as responsible citizens of the Society.

Two of the inmates have become Army Officers, some others have joined Government jobs while others have made their mark in business or other fields.

This year too, three inmates of the Home studying in class IV in Greenland School secured first position in their respective section.

'Looking at the enthusiasm of these children and their achievements, we forget all the problems of running the Home with the limited resources', president of the Home Alungtang said.

According to the resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989, four areas have been identified for safeguarding the rights of the a child.

These are survival rights, development rights, protection rights and participation rights.

Ensuring adequate living standard, providing nutritional support and access to medical services, etc come under the ambit of the survival rights.

But it is moot question to ask whether the necessary infrastructures, nutritional supports and sanitation facilities are being provided in the Children Homes in Manipur in accordance to the UN resolution of which India became a signatory on December 11, 1922.