Kapoor in Siliguri. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Dec. 7: Anubhab, a creche for the mentally and physically challenged children and youths from poor families will soon have a new home.

Thanks to the efforts of Bollywood actor Sharad Kapoor, the inmates, and those on the waiting list, will get a spacious residential complex spread over 10 cottahs at Paribahan Nagar, around 4 km from Siiguri.

The agreement was reached here yesterday between urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and Kapoor, a lifetime member and a patron of Anubhab. Kapoor, stars of films like Dastak and Josh, visits the centre whenever he is in the region. The actor, who is shooting for his maiden Bengali film Kalocheetah in the hills, was in Siliguri yesterday to meet Bhattacharya on the issue.

“We were trying to get a plot of land on the outskirts of the time for a long time to accommodate our borders. The minister readily accepted the proposal and agreed to provide us 10 cottahs of land at Matigara Paribahan Nagar,” Anubhab secretary Pradip Dasgupta said.

At present, Anubhab takes care of 23 inmates, including 17 girls, who spend 10 hours at the creche. The centre has a waiting list of 36.

”We wanted 15 cottahs of land as the inmates need to do physical exercises and take brisk walks daily, ideally in an open space. We have to turn down so many applicants just for the want of space as our rented complex at Hakimpara cannot accommodate more then 20-25 inmates. Tomorrow we will officially apply for the required amount of land to the minister,” Dasgupta, a railway officer, said. Anubhab will just have to pay the registration fee.

The decision has raised the spirits of the inmates and officials associated with the creche. “To raise funds for the construction of the residential complex, we will organise a charity show with Bollywood and Tollywood stars in mid-January. Sharad, who is busy shooting in the Darjeeling hills, is taking the initiative to organise the show,” Dasgupta said.

The organisation was started around 18 months ago to give some relief to mothers of mentally and physically challenged children.

“Having known and understood the plight of these children and their families for more than a year now, we are desperate to convert Anubhab into a residential home. There are crèches which abandon the children after they become adults and a residential home can solve this problem,” Dasgupta said.