The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) has served a show cause notice on a Kovaipudur-based home after serious irregularities were detected during an inspection.
Officials of Child Welfare Committee, and the DCPU had inspected the children’s home in March and September, 2016.
They had asked the management to correct inadequacies found.
On February 18 when officials made a surprise check, they found that the management had failed to make corrections recommended earlier.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and the DCPU had received many complaints against the home.
During the inspections, it was found that unauthorised persons were residing at the home and were misbehaving with the children.
“CCTV footage showed that unauthorised individuals were staying inside the children’s home and they are misbehaving with girls. As per AHTU intervention, the managing director of the home resides in the child care institution... A trust member was spending time with children in the late hours. The way he behaves with children seems to be unhealthy,” said the show cause notice dated on March 27, a copy of which is available with The Hindu .
The DCPU has directed the home to submit three months’ CCTV footage.
The notice said that outsiders were found taking dinner in the children’s home. Only 10 of the 21 children present in the home during the inspection had received an order from Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
The remaining 11 were accommodated without an order from the CWC.
The notice said that the home doesn’t maintain any records and register in proper manner. While the Juvenile Justice Act permits to provide shelter for children aged above five at child care institution, the home violated norms by keeping children aged below five.
Though the watchman of the home had recently expired, the management did not appoint a new person. The home was given five day’s time to respond to the show cause notice.
