Mumbai: Blind home leaves students to starve, government steps in to help

After trustees at an industrial training institute for the visually impaired left 40odd students in the lurch by refusing to provide them with meals the state government had to step in to ensure things run smoothly For the past one month the students had been managing thanks to help from the MNS and local residentsSocial Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole second from left and MNSrsquo Shalini Thackeray with the students at the industrial residential homeVisually impaired students at the Muncherjee Nowrojee Banajee Industrial Home for the Blind in Jogeshwari West had been denied food for the past one month because they had demanded eggs once a month in their meals The institute serves as a residence and training centre where the blind can receive vocational training and develop skills that will enable them to secure jobsAfter students put in a written request asking that an egg dish be included in their meals the kitchen at the home stopped working on March 16 and had remained shut until yesterday Santosh Kadam 30 who has been studying at the home for the past four years told midday that the management had refused them food only because they wanted egg curry once in a monthldquoAlso the management refused us financial help for selfemployment though it had been pledged through the interest money on the fixed deposits that had been made in the name of the trust by a donorrdquo alleged Kadam who belongs to Hadgaon in NandedFor the past 30 days or so the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS in association with locals has been providing food breakfast lunch and dinner to the students Shalini Thackeray MNSrsquo vicepresident took up the issue with the social justice ministry and the minister paid the home a visit yesterdayPutting house in orderSocial Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole told midday that he has asked his officials to manage daytoday affairs of the residential industrial home The officials also started the homersquos kitchen yesterday and the government is in process of appointing an administrator for the school On his visit to the institute yesterday Badole saw many deficienciesldquoThe trustees did not turn up for a meeting which I held on the industrial homersquos premises today Friday I donrsquot understand how the trust can leave the hapless students in a lurch From now on the students will get a proper meal and facilitiesrdquo Badole told midday He said that the skills development training at the institute did not adhere to the government regulations although it had received a grant from the social justice departmentAnother student Sayaji Wagh 24 thanked the people who helped them in their struggle ldquoThe LPG cylinders were made available today for running our kitchen which had stopped working from March 16 The government officers are managing things here after we told the minister about our miseryrdquo he saidThackeray told midday that she had been raising the issues related to the M N Banajee Trust for the past four years with the trustees and the government ldquoTrust officials Pranav Mujumdar and Shrikant Bapat have been behaving so badly with the students that students are not ready to stay here The home has a capacity of 100 but only 40 students are left nowThe trust gets huge donations from benevolent people but the trustees donrsquot want to spend the money on welfare schemesrdquo she said adding that the trust stopped all activities when the students gave a written complaint last monthAfter the complaint which pertained to issues related to food and funds among others was registered no classes or training sessions had taken place at the institute Many of the programmes resumed yesterday after the governmentrsquos intervention