Nagpur: The concept of Family Counselling Cell (FCC) is feared ‘defeated’ when one looks into its poor functioning in Hanman Nagar Zone of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), and is doubtful whether other FCCs are functioning responsibly. The Hanuman Nagar FCC is being misused as rest-room or tiffin-box eating room or chit-chat room holding boisterous talks and so on. All these FCCs have been set up under joint efforts of the police department and the social welfare department of Maharashtra Government. The aim is that minimum number of cases of family-level disputes reach the police stations across the state.
It may be noted that the concept of FCC was that complainants or aggrieved and the respondents (accused of any small types of dispute) in any sort of family-level dispute, without going to any police station, should be sent to their zone-wise FCC where in the presence of the counsellors or purposefully appointed social-worker women their disputes might find amicable settlement. Such FCCs are set up under various zones of NMC in the city to attain social peace and justice.
But these FCCs are misused either for making it rest-room or chit-chat room or tiffin-box eating room. Apart from this, the appointed social-worker women do not turn up in time and even they do not hesitate to ask bribes for counselling from the parties in dispute. An incident of similar nature has already occurred at Mahila Samupadeshan Karlaya (FCC) under Hanuman Nagar Zone, informed sources.
According to sources, one Smruti Samupadeshan Kendra (FCC) at Hanuman Nagar Zone is misused as a room for eating tiffins by NMC employees working in the zonal office and all sorts of chit-chat are held there. The woman social-workers never come in time, and in case they come though late, then instead of sorting out family disputes they increase the gravity of the dispute. They even go to the extent of forcibly getting the settlement-documents signed by the parties in dispute, despite the fact that the dispute is remaining unsolved.
When this issue was brought to the notice of Sudha Iraskar, chairperson, Samaj Kalyan Samiti, NMC, she said that the necessary steps by the NMC would be taken against reported irregularities in FCC. She admitted that the FCC enjoyed a due respect in terms of sorting out family matters.
Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha (rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com)
