Youths of Kendrapada township under the banner of the Shree Jagannath Charitable Trust have started extending their helping hand to mentally-challenged persons, roaming on the Kendrapada Town streets ditched by family members. For this purpose they are generally spending from their own pockets.
According to Daman Mohanty ,president of Shree Jagannath Charitable Trust, “We distributed new clothes among a few hapless persons. We gave them shaving and cut their nails.
About 18 mentally disabled persons,who were found roaming on the street from Baladevjew temple Ratha Danda to Duhuria were rescued.”The idea of serving such people struck them when they came across a mentally sick person at Keshpur bazar first. Bad odour was coming out of his body. Besides his hair and beard had grown up and were disheveled. Insects were swarming on the injury place of his head.
"Showing pity on the condition of the person, I came near him and later, telephoned to the members of our trust. They arrived at the spot and shaved the hair and beard of the man, cut his nails and bathed him.
He was provided treatment as well," said Shree Jagannath Charitable Trust president Mohanty, adding that the incident provided the much needed spur to go ahead. It is purely unfortunate that nobody is taking care of the abandoned mentally disabled persons, who can be seen often eating from rotting garbage, not taking bath for years, walking barefoot in torn clothes or sometimes naked. We decided we should do something for such hapless people, Mohanty told.
Besides this, Mohanty informed that they have been lending their support to fire, road accident victims and poor persons fighting critical diseases like cancer and kidney ailments.