Several orphanages and children’s protection homes in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts could face closure in a month’s time, owing to irregularities in functioning.
Teams constituted by the Women Development & Child Welfare department have inspected all privately run protection homes in the three districts — 125 in Medchal-Malkajgiri, 65 in Hyderabad and 38 in Rangareddy. The process to issue notices is presently on.
Almost 70% of the homes have been found with deficiencies, sources said.
However, several of these shortcomings could be rectified, hence an opportunity would be given to the homes to improve.
Where the conditions do not have any scope for improvement, and where irregularities are found, all such homes would be shut down, officials said. It is learnt that some homes were so bad that the teams had to immediately shift the children out, while caretakers of some others claimed that they were running hostels and would not come under the purview of the Women Development & Child Welfare department.
The inspections have been taken up after a case of sexual assault surfaced at an orphanage in Ameenpur, where the victim, a minor girl, later died of various complications.
Show-cause notices were issued to the staff of the District Child Protection Unit, for failing to inspect the home regularly. If their replies were found unsatisfactory, their services would be terminated, said officials.