Pune:
A week after a raid on an alleged illegal orphanage found no trace of 36 children that had been seen only a couple of days before at the establishment by social workers, neither the police nor the District Women and Child Development Officer have attained any success in tracing the young ones.
The 36 children were allegedly seen inside the Niradhar Balsangopan Anath Ashram in Dapodi by NGO Dnyandevi Childline activists, but when the raid was carried out two days later the ashram wore the look of a place that had been evacuated in a hurry. Clothes and schoolbags of children were found haphazardly piled in corners.
But, saying they had no evidence, government officials took no action against the ashram that lacks a permit to function as an orphanage. Finally, after persistent efforts by the Dnyandevi Childline activists, the police took cognisance of the matter and initiated an inquiry. "We had initially submitted our application to the Juvenile Police Unit at the Commissioner's Officer and have also submitted a copy of the application to Commissioner Meeran Chaddha Borwankar," Dnyandevi Childline Director Anuradha Sahasrabudhhe said. "As per the JPU's instructions, we submitted an application to the Bhosari police on Wednesday."
PI Sudhir Aspat said the case was being investigated. "There is no breakthrough in the case yet, but we are investigating," he said. In the case of another orphanage that was raided and where gross violations were pointed out by activists, the Child Welfare Committee rescued all four girls kept there. The girls were transferred from the orphanage in question, Saraswati, to other orphanages which possessed relevant sanctions and fulfilled necessary requirements. Three children below the age of six years were transferred back to their parents, said CWC Chairman V N Sankpal. "The orphanage authorities have been warned against admitting girls," said Sankpal.
Anuradha Sahasrabudhhe, director of Dnyandevi Childline, a non-governmental organisation working in the field of child welfare, has appealed to citizens to report to Childline any errant orphanages they know. The Childline appeal says that after gaining information, Childline social workers will go and verify whether the orphanage has the necessary approval or not. The contact numbers for the the NGO are (020)25540156 and 9767187263