Warangal: NGOs cry foul over shifting of Children’s Home

Orders to shift the Home from Autonagar in Warangal to Mahabubabad were issued in January this year following an incident where three children escaped from the Children’s Home

Warangal Urban: Unhappy with the decision of the Department of Women and Child Development (DW&CD) to shift the Children’s Home for Boys from Warangal to Mahabubabad town, child rights activists and NGOs have urged the State government to withdraw its decision and run the Home in Warangal city for the benefit of the children from 16 districts.

According to sources, orders to shift the Home from Autonagar in Warangal to Mahabubabad were issued in January this year following an incident where three children escaped from the Children’s Home. The Home is being run at a rented premises in Hyderabad temporarily. Child rights activists, however, allege that the officials had taken the decision without conducting any survey and without the approval of the Cabinet Committee.

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“The officials did not take public opinion or consult the then Child Welfare Committee or the District Child Protection Unit. As per my knowledge, they have also not informed the matter to the District Collector,” said former chairman of the erstwhile Warangal district’s Child Welfare Committee Mandala Parashuramulu, while speaking to Telangana Today.

The government issued GO.Ms.No.2 on January 2, 2021, to shift the Home (Balura Sadanam) which was established for orphans, semi-orphans, destitute, neglected, runaway and street children who need care and protection. The Children’s Home for Boys was established in 2006 in Warangal with a capacity to house 100 inmates.

Since Warangal is the gateway to 16 North Telangana districts besides being the second biggest city in the State, the officials in undivided Andhra Pradesh decided to set up the Home covering four erstwhile districts – Khammam, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Warangal. Mahabubabad also came under the jurisdiction of this Home.

“Mahabubabad is a remote place for all 16 districts and there is no proper public transport facilities to the place from the 16 districts of Telangana when compared to Warangal. It causes a lot of inconvenience to officials, ChildLine staff, NGOs, police and others involved in children’s issues,” founder president of Society for Public Welfare and Initiative (SPWI) Dr Suresh Devath said.

“In view of all these factors, we urge the government to take steps to continue the Home in Warangal in a rented accommodation or by constructing a permanent building,” said Parashuramulu, who also runs an NGO.

Officials, however, clarified that they had shifted the Home as it was located in the same building that also houses the juvenile home.

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