874 children rescued by Muskaan & Smile Operations

Hyderabad: City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar has urged people to alert police about any child labour that comes to their notice. Explaining the success of 'Operation Muskaan-V' in July and 'Operation Smile' in January, he said they rescued 874 children from labour works.

Of them, 31 children are being admitted into residential and other schools. Since 2015, through 'Operation Smile' and 'Operation Muskaan,' the city police along with DCPU (WCD and SC), Revenue Department, Labour Department, Child Line and Para Legal volunteers till now rescued 4,624 children.

The Commissioner added that as part of 'Operation Muskaan –V' in July, 17 teams worked hard to trace missing children, rescue child labourers. The 445 children included 38 girls. Of them 51 boys were sent to rescue home at Saidabad, 13 girls to rescue home at Nimboliadda and 356 boys and 25 girls were handed over to their parents.

Anjani Kumar said 7 cases were registered against employers under the Child Labour Act. In 431 cases, labour officers imposed fines totalling Rs18.7 lakh on the employers and 7 children were rescued from begging on the streets.

CP further informed that special efforts were being made by the rescue teams to see that these children do not go back to work again. The children were gifted uniforms and books and bags, admission letters of schools on the occasion.