The Composite Regional Centre for Persons with
Disabilities won a new lease of life here on Saturday, when Union
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja laid the
foundation stone for a new building for it.
The
centre, which caters to the needs of disabled people across Malabar
region, has been without a proper roof for the past several years.
It has been functioning from a temporary shed here.
A
new chapter in its history was opened with the Health Department
agreeing to hand over a vacant three-acre plot located near the
Government Leprosy Hospital to the Social Justice department on a
99-year lease.
It was functioning inside a compound owned by the Social Justice Department at Vellimadukunnu here since December 8, 2011.
The
statistics itself reveals the importance of the centre in the welfare
of disabled persons in the region. Last month, 955 persons had
approached the centre here to avail themselves of services like clinical
psychology, parental counselling physiotherapy, occupation therapy, and
communication training. Again, 1086 persons had come to the centre for
rehabilitation treatment, early intervention, sensory coordination, and
social skill training in March alone.
The functions
of the centre include distribution of chairs of cerebral palsy-affected
persons and hearing aids, documentation of early intervention, and
training for autistic persons.
The District Administration has informed that the building cost will be Rs.13 crore.
The
construction of the building would be under the supervision of the
Chennai-based National Institute of Empowerment of Persons with Multiple
Disabilities Centre. Work is expected to be completed in three years.
Once the centre starts functioning, it will be the second such one in south India.
Source : The Hindu , Kozikhode ( 14th April 2013 )
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