DHENKANAL: Following the State Government order to shut down all branches of Good News India Dream Centre, Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan on Sunday said the Beltikiri shelter home did not fall under the categories mentioned in the Juvenile Justice Act.
Good News India was running a hostel for children, not a shelter home and hence, did not come under the purview of JJ Act, said Kalyan. “The organisation can start operating it again. We are sending the children to their respective families as they do not want to stay there,” he said.
The district administration rejected the application of Good News India as it did not fall under JJ Act. Later, the organisation withdrew their application stating that it does not want to run any shelter home under JJ Act but a hostel for children, the Collector said.
However, the district child welfare committee (CWC) did not agree with the Collector’s statement. Any organisation housing children in need of care and protection must register under JJ Act. The children at Beltikiri shelter home were in need of care and protection as evident from their socio-economic condition, a CWC official said.
The CWC and district child protection unit (DCPU) had rejected the organisation’s application twice on grounds of noncompliance of JJ Act and the Orissa High Court had even sent a team of lawyers to know the condition and standard of care given to the children two years back.
District Child Protection Officer Anuradha Goswami said as the organisation violated norms of JJ Act and was functioning illegally, she lodged a complaint against it with Sadar Police on November 29. The CWC had also attached written complaints of the girls and boys alleging sexual harassment in the shelter home.
Meanwhile, 46 children out of the total 80 residing in Beltikiri shelter home have been restored with their families. The rest of the inmates 80 children are being housed at the child care institution of Maharshi Dayananda Service Mission.