Chandigarh, Dec. 22 -- In the twilight of his life, 64-year-old Jagdish Singh, who works as a security guard on a meagre salary, has only one worry in life. A single parent to a 34-year-old with mental disabilities, Jagdish worries who will care for his son after he is gone. The Group Home in Sector 31 came as a ray of hope. The Rs.35-crore facility has been built keeping in mind the requirements of persons with mental and intellectual disabilities. Jagdish's son successfully completed a 45-day assessment programme for admission to the Group Home under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category, after which he was to be invited for a second trial. After waiting for three months, the invite finally came. But Jagdish was shocked to find that the second trial, of 90 days, was to take place at the Sector 15 senior citizens' home rather than the dedicated facility at Sector 31. "How can a facility for senior citizens be suitable for persons with mental disabilities, whose needs are very different," he asks. The department of social welfare, women and child development, which recently published an advertisement inviting candidates for the second round, mentions that EWS candidates will be housed at the senior citizens home. It cited the fourth governing body meeting of the UTTHAAN Society, the apex body overseeing the Group Home, as the basis of its decision. Dr Bhupinder Jit Kaur Waraich, member of the governing body, who was present at the meeting, however, said there was no discussion on shifting EWS candidates to a separate facility. The minutes of this meeting, released on November 21, merely mentions that the Sector 15 facility has a capacity to accommodate about 20 persons on the first floor. Parents opposed to the move, say that the decision seems to have been taken abruptly, with no discussion on the standard operating procedures, counselling, day care and nursing facilities available for persons with mental disability, at the Sector 15 facility. What's raising more hackles is the fact that it has also been decided to shift fee defaulters to the senior citizens' home, which parents claim reeks of discrimination. Dr Waraich, who is a psychiatrist with over 30 years of experience, accepts that the senior citizens' home and a home for persons with mental disabilities are two very different establishments with different staff requirements. When contacted, Palika Arora, the director, social welfare department, said, "The decision (to house EWS candidates in Sector 15) has been taken at a higher level. The EWS candidates will be equally taken care of in the senior citizens' building. They aren't being admitted in the Sector-31 facility as it is developed on a paid model."...