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Inmates lead sub-human life at govt vagrant centre

Mahtabi Zaman
Inmates live in sub-human condition at government vagrant reception centre at Mirpur in the city due to sheer neglect of the authorities concerned.
In 1995, the public works department declared the building of the centre at Section-1 abandoned, but the vagrants arc s till brought and left there to stay at the risk of their life.
At present around 90 inmates are living at the centre, and of them 50 are staying at the safe custody of the authorities, and the rest arc living as vagrants.
According to The Vagrancy Act 1943. die centre is to rehabilitate beggars and physically and mentally challenged people, and provide training to them so that
they can earn their own livelihood.
But in practice drug addicts, lost children and adults, sex workers and hawkers arc brought to the centre to live all together.
The centre does not provide any bed or mosquito net to the inmates.
An unhealthy environment always prevails there. Floors are littered with dirty materials and the air of the room is full of bad odors.
In the rainy days, water trickles down the roof and the wall making the rooms more stinky and dumpy.
Most of the inmates are mentally challenged. They often defecate at tlicir living place while the staffs force them to clean the place by themselves.
Lack of water is a regular and
acute problem here. As a result the toilets are almost unusable. Duc to lack of water, other inmates also defecate inside their rooms and on the stairs of the building.
While visiting the centre recently, the inmates were found to cook their food try themselves.
"The inmates prepare their food themselves by turn and they are served with rice three times a day," said a caretaker of
Most of the inmates, specially the children, are suffering from skin diseases.
“A paramedic visits the centre once a week and prescribes medicines for the patients,” claimed a staff, adding th at a bed in a room is the only equipment of his clinic.
No recreational facility is available at the centre and the
children remain confined to their room. As they are mosdy street children they remain busy with fighting and quarrelling among themselves.
A good number of mentally challenged girls were also found at the centre. T\vo of them were found pregnant. Most of the times, die inmates remain busy quarrelling with each other.
Sources said some officials often take the inmates especially the girls to their home to work as domestic help, and after couple of years they are again brought back to the centre.
There is a so-called training centre here but most of the time it remains closed due to lack of teacher. Besides, due to lengthy government procedure the centre lacks necessary equipment to impart vocational training, added a staff.