NEW DELHI: Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot on Thursday said the government is developing a plan for a state-of-the-art integrated complex in Alipur to house rescued children. The Women and Child Development (WCD) minister was speaking during a meeting held to review the proposed integrated complex for boys.
During the meeting, officials from the public works department presented the building’s initial
design concept and layout plan to the minister. Gahlot said there was an immediate need to re-assess the infrastructure adequacy of existing institutions and identify the gaps so that the rescued children are given “the best possible infrastructure”.
“These institutions promote health, growth and well-being of the children until they are handed back to their families,” he said, according to an official statement. The integrated complex which will be built in an 8.44-acre premise, envisages a four-storey structure and a basement with a total built-up area of 13,643 square metres. It will be designed to accommodate 200 children.
Lifts, ramps, and child friendly disabled-friendly toilets, recreational spaces, libraries, playground and dedicated dining areas are also being planned, according to the government. “The idea is to ensure that every child staying in institutional care should feel at home until they are handed back to their families,” Gahlot said. The women and child welfare department runs 99 child care institutions in seven locations across Delhi — Lajpat Nagar, Hari Nagar, Alipur, Kingsway Camp, Delhi Gate, Majnu Ka Tila and Dilshad Garden.