Hyderabad: About 20 orphan homes located in Ranga Reddy district are to be shut down for not having a valid licence from the Women and Child Welfare Department. At least 600 children located in such homes will be relocated to other homes for care and protection, said officials.
The issue of unregistered homes came to light when the Cyberabad police made efforts to rehabilitate 208 children rescued during Operation Muskaan. It was found that some of the homes did not even have licences and were running illegally. After with the recent bust of the unregistered Dove Orphan Children Home at Bandalguda in Rajendranagar, the police immediately checked all such homes located in the commissionerate limits in Ranga Reddy district.
“During the checks, about 76 orphan homes were found, of which 20 were running illegally. They did not get registered with the WCW department in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act,” said Cyberabad DCP (Women Protection Cell) C Anasuya. She said they would again conduct checks to verify the living conditions of the children at the homes to ensure their safety.
A meeting was also held at the Cyberabad police headquarters on Thursday, where the police personnel from the Women Protection Cell of Cyberabad commissionerate, officials of Child Welfare Committee and District Child Protection Unit of Ranga Reddy district, discussed future plans to monitor and keep a close tab on the orphan homes.
According to Ranga Reddy District Child Protection Officer A Devendra Chary, out of 76 homes in the district, around 56 had applied for licences and were given temporary licences, as the government was setting up a new system of online application for registration of orphanages. The new system would roll out in a week or two, and the existing homes could apply for permanent registration. “The remaining 20 homes do not have licences and they did not even apply for them. We are planning to issue notices and shut them down.” he said.
