Ten children were rescued from an illegally-run home in Kundrathur by the Kancheepuram Child Welfare Committee on Monday.
The children, including two girls, aged between 5 and 11, were lodged in Shri Sai Trust, Tharappakkam, Kundrathur, which was opened five years ago. All the children are underprivileged and have single parents. They were brought from different districts, including Kanniyakumari and Thanjavur, with the assurance that they would be provided good education.
“But they had not registered the institution, which is mandatory under the Juvenile Justice Act,” said Zaheeruddin Mohamad, member, CWC, Kancheepuram district.
On August 31, after receiving a tip-off from one of the members, CWC officials had gone to inspect the home. A few locals allegedly interrupted them. Noticing the commotion outside, three caretakers of the home took the children and sneaked out through the back door. “When we went there, there were no children and no caretakers either,” he said. The officials further claimed that the home lacked facilities. “There was only a hall, about 250 sq.ft, where all the children had to eat, study and sleep, and a washroom. There were no separate rooms for the girls and boys, which is mandatory,” said another member.
The officials lodged a complaint with the local police against the home’s director Saravanan and three caretakers on charges of running an unlicensed child care institution and absconding with the children. The District Child Protection Unit also lodged an FIR against the director.
Mr. Saravanan obtained an anticipatory bail and produced the children before the CWC.
The members then ordered their transfer to a registered institution near the locality, where they could continue their education.
Till May, the Department of Social Defence has shut down over 300 unregistered homes in the State, of which over 40 are in Kancheepuram district.
Officials claim that despite taking several measures to ensure that all homes in the district are duly registered, several continue to flout the rules.