12 elderly persons shifted to govt old age home in Pune after being found living in makeshift huts

Pune, Nov 20 (PTI) A Maharashtra government department on Thursday shifted 12 elderly persons from a privately-run shelter in Pune to an old age home after they were found living in makeshift huts in poor conditions for nearly a month, officials said.

The incident has triggered a departmental inquiry into the functioning of the shelter home and a parallel probe into a missing patient earlier referred there from the Sassoon General Hospital (SGH).

The action was taken by the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department.

Officials said the elderly persons were inmates of ASK Vrudhashram Anathashram, run by Rugna Aadhar Foundation, a trust registered with the Charity Commissioner in 2020.

The shelter, which accommodates senior citizens, orphans and persons with mental illness, vacated its rented premises in Phursungi recently due to lack of funds and relocated 16 elderly individuals to temporary huts at Ghorpadi.

Following complaints and media reports, a joint team of the Social Welfare Department visited the spot and found the senior citizens living in unhygienic surroundings without access to proper medical facilities or basic amenities.

"Social Welfare Minister Sanjay Shirsat has taken serious note of the matter and directed immediate action," Social Welfare Commissioner Deepa Mudhol Munde said.

"We have shifted 12 elderly persons from the spot to a government-aided old age home to ensure their safety and medical support. The department will not allow vulnerable people to suffer due to negligence," she added.

Foundation founder Dadasaheb Gaikwad has described the shifting of the inmates to huts as a "protest", and claimed the elderly persons did not face any hardship.

He has sought a 40,000 sq ft land parcel or a dedicated building from the Pune Municipal Corporation to continue operations.

"We run the shelter home with around Rs 50,000 a month and have no financial backing. People with us are happy and do not wish to relocate," Gaikwad said.

Meanwhile, a case of a missing mentally-ill patient earlier referred by SGH to the same shelter has raised further alarm.

The man, admitted to the SGH in late September 2024 and subsequently shifted to the foundation in early December, reportedly disappeared after he was readmitted to the hospital.

His family and the shelter have claimed they are unaware of his whereabouts.

Pushkar Tuljapurkar, a BJP leader and the patient's relative, has approached the police and written to senior state officials, alleging lack of communication from authorities. Pune police and the Charity Commissionerate have launched inquiries, officials said.

The Sassoon General Hospital on Thursday said it has ordered a probe into it and constituted a committee of three health officials. PTI SPK NP