Vasai fruit seller struggles to bring home son stuck at rehab centre

Shanti Gupta at her roadside fruit stall in Vasai. PIC/Hanif Patel

A 60-year-old fruit seller from Vasai is struggling to bring her son, who has been stuck at a drug rehabilitation centre due to non-payment of bills, back home. The woman said she has pleaded with several people for help to clear the dues of the facility, however, no one has been able to help her.

Shanti Gupta was already struggling to make the monthly payment of Rs 5,500 initially when she would sometimes loan money from her friends and relatives. However, the lockdown has hit everyone's income. Shanti had admitted her son Manoj Gupta, a drug addict, at Hope of Success Foundation in Virar in 2019. She says he has now recovered and wants to return home, but the dues have mounted to Rs 55,000 which she cannot afford.

"My son was a drug addict and would often create nuisance at home and the locality. We sent him to the rehabilitation centre on August 15, 2019. Now he has recovered, but cannot return home because the dues have not been cleared. The sale of fruits during the lockdown was very low and the business is completely down. We need to pay Rs 55,000 to the rehabilitation centre, but I have no money," she said.

"I am old and have suffered a paralysis attack. I can't even walk for long. I have requested many people to bring my son back but to no avail. The bill keeps mounting every passing month. I am worried and need someone to help me," she pleaded.

The owner of the rehabilitation centre, Paresh Waghela, said that he understands the family's situation and had even given concessions at the time of admitting him. "Our monthly charge is Rs 8,000 per patient, but looking at their financial condition we agreed to charge his family only Rs 5,500."

'We too have suffered'

Waghela said the family always paid the fee late and now the bill has increased to nearly Rs 55,000. "We do understand that the lockdown caused a financial crisis for them, but we also suffered."

He added that Manoj's brother would always give assurances that they would pay the fees soon and take him home, but "they were all false. False promises also impacted the recovery of the patient who would get happy on learning that he will return home. But, when he learnt that the dues were not cleared, he got upset. Now, he remains at the centre with 47 other patients," Waghela said.

Considering Shanti's situation and her appeal for help, Waghela has agreed to find a middle ground. "On coming Sunday, I will try to meet the family and look for a way to resolve this issue," he said.

Rs 55k
Amount Gupta has to pay to the rehab centre

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