Failing to meet guidelines, Guru Nanak Anath Ashram draws admn flak

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 8

The controversial Guru Nanak Anath Ashram and its subsidiary Budhiana Home (unregistered) for the destitute have run into trouble for operating with inadequate registrations.

After objections were raised regarding the lack of a proper registration under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 with the Guru Nanak Anath Ashram, Rama Mandi, 16 girl inmates of the ashram were sent to homes elsewhere earlier this year, after the DC raised objections regarding the institution.

Sixteen girls of the organisation were shifted to other ashrams on July 20, 2017, while eight normal girls of the ashram were shifted to various homes in Jalandhar. Eight mentally retarded girls were shifted to the home for mentally retarded at Amritsar. Due to the absence of a Child Welfare Committee in Jalandhar, the task was accorded to the Child Welfare Committee in Hoshiarpur.

While the Deputy Commissioner had issued a show-cause notice to the ashram, he had sought the reason for the ashram within seven days on why action should not be initiated against it under the under Section 42(2) of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The letter also stated that 25 children of the ashram, who are aged less than 18, had been housed in the ashram. The ashram lacks norms as per the Juvenile Justice Act (care and protection of children). It stated that the Punjab Government, on 29-10-2013, had registered the organisation under the JJ Act. But the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, Jalandhar, wrote that the organisation was not registered under the Juvenile Justice Act (care and protection of children) 2015.

While an inspection of the organisation was carried out on June 28, 2017, as many as 27 mentally retarded boys and girls and eight normal girls of less than 18 years should be shifted to another organisation, registered under the JJ Act, so that they get shelter under an organisation registered under the JJ Act.

Notably, the action against the organisation had followed after a complaint regarding the lack of doctors at the ashram and no special doctor for the about 100 patients lodged there were received by the district administration.

The complaint also stated that the FIR reports of the patients at the home had not been registered and the as many as 100 patients who fell ill at the ashram did not receive timely treatment, due to which some suffered untimely deaths. The letter also stated that illegal activities were happening in the organisation, and two to three deaths were taking place there in a month.

District Programme Officer, Amarjit Singh Bhullar, said, “Sixteen inmates of the ashram have already been shifted and many others shall be shifted to other ashrams soon since the ashram is not authorised to house them. Since the registration of the ashram under the JJ Act, is also about to end, the inmates shall have to be moved sooner or later anyways.”