CHENNAI: Days before the announcement of Covid lockdown in March, 59-year-old Vasuki* who was residing at the government rehabilitation home for visually impaired was asked to leave the premises along with 19 others living there. The reason allegedly stated by the authorities of the home, was that there will not be enough resources to feed them during the crisis.
Seven months later, in October, visually-impaired Vasuki is still struggling to find shelter and food. "I was admitted into Santhome shelter home for visually impaired women inside Poonamalle blind school campus 22 years ago. I am not married and I have nobody to take care of me. We are a total of 20 inmates in the home and as soon as the lockdown news started making rounds, the authorities at the home
forced us to leave," said Vasuki.
However, five of the 20 inmates managed to convince their relatives or friends and went to their hometowns. Other 15 inmates continued to stay in the shelter as they could not find any other accommodation.
Now, people like Vasuki want to return to the home, since the relatives consider them as a burden. But they say they are not being allowed inside the campus.
"We literally had to beg our distant relatives to provide us a shelter. We had told them we will only stay for a month, little did we imagine we were permanently kicked out. I cannot move without help and nobody is ready to take care of me. The financial condition of my relatives too is not great. They themselves are struggling to eat and I have become an added burden," she said breaking into tears.
Adding, another inmate who also is not being allowed inside the home, said on condition of anonymity, "I am 30-years-old and I could earn a little something through the government weaving course set up inside
the home. Now neither do I have a shelter, nor money to reside anywhere. We don't have any idea who to complain about the issue to."
One of the teachers of the Poonamallee Blind School said the issue of not admitting people has been happening for about five years now. "The purpose of this home is to serve and rehabilitate the homeless
visually impaired women. So they live in this home throughout the year. But in recent years, during the summer holidays, they are compelled to go to any other home or any relatives, who are not ready
to take care of them. This continued during the Covid crisis and now the worst part is, they are not allowing the existing inmates to stay there. As far as my knowledge goes, this is the only dedicated
government shelter for visually impaired women," she said.
When contacted, an official of the Santhome shelter home for visually impaired women said, "Since we are located inside a school premises, we cannot let in inmates till the school reopens. Also, we don't have
enough groceries to feed the existing inmates. Moreover, it is dangerous to let in people due to Covid."