Operation Muskan-3: Night patrolling suggested

Karimnagar: District Joint Collector Badri Srinivas directed the officials of the departments concerned to implement the ‘Operation Muskan-3’ the central government project successfully in the district by identifying the missing children below 14 years of age and sending them to child protection centres.

Presiding over a review meeting with various officials at the Collectorate in the city on Wednesday to discuss on the implementation of third phase of the central government project “Operation Muskan’ here at Collectorate on Wednesday, the Joint Collector instructed the officials to coordinate with each other for successful implementation of ‘Operation Muskan-3’ in the District by organising a special drive.

Joint Collector Srinivas said that such children should be sent to child protection centres or to special schools till they were traced by their parents so that they may have a bright future.

The children who are below 18 years of age must be handed over to voluntary organisation for providing them better education, he added.

He said that the children who were identified under Operation Muskan must be produced before the Child Welfare Committee and after receiving instructions from the committee members, further steps relating to their custody and protection must be taken. Night patrolling should be carried out with the help of the police to identify the missing children. the Joint Collector added.

Srinivas said that monthly review meetings should be organised by forming a task force committee. Some unidentified persons by lifting the small children were forcing them to indulge in begging business in front of hotels, temples and bus stands and in front of railway stations, the Joint Collector lamented.

The representatives of voluntary organisation along with the officials of various departments must take necessary steps to eradicate the begging business along with keeping check on such persons who are forcing the small children to beg, advised the District Joint Collector Badri Srinivas.

The District Welfare Officer Sharada, Regional Officer Gagulothu Renu, Child Welfare Committee Chairman G Komuraiah, District Education Officer Rajiv, Deputy Director of Information Department N Venkateshwar Rao, Commissioner of Labour Gandhi, Assistant Commissioner of Police Prabhakar, Child Protection Officer Parveen and the representatives of various voluntary organisation were present on the occasion.