Around 40 security guards deployed at three government run children’s homes in Mumbai have stopped reporting for duty after not being paid since Novmeber, 2025, raising serious concerns over the safety of juveniles housed at the facilities. The guards, who are employed on a contractual basis, earn around Rs 13,000 a month.
The affected institutions include the Children’s Home at Umarkhadi in Dongri, the children’s home in Mankhurd and the David Sassoon Industrial School in Mahim. Officials said the guards were hired through a private contractor, Smart Services, and have not been paid since November.
The Maharashtra government released a tranche of payment late on Friday towards the pending salaries. Officials said the funds cleared dues for the period from June to September, while payments for the subsequent months up to December are still pending.
Mumbai’s children’s homes function as observation homes and special homes under the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act. Run by the Children’s Aid Society on behalf of the Maharashtra government, these institutions provide care, protection and rehabilitation to children below 18 years who are either in conflict with the law or in need of care and protection. The homes house juveniles during inquiry or trial and are responsible for ensuring their safety, education, counselling and overall welfare.
The absence of guards has raised alarms as the children’s home in Dongri houses more than 100 juveniles in conflict with the law, some of whom face serious charges including murder, attempt to murder and offences under the NDPS Act. The facilities in Mankhurd and Mahim house around 300 and 100 children respectively, who are in need of care and protection.
The Maharashtra government had appointed Pune based firm Smart Services to hire and deploy security guards at the three facilities. According to officials, there are around 45 guards on contract across the homes, including 12 at Dongri, 18 at Mahim and 15, including women guards, at Mankhurd.
“Eight guards at Dongri, 13 at Mahim and four at Mankhurd stopped coming to work between January 13 and January 15,” said an officer, describing the situation as a serious child safety issue.
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“Security guards at these homes act like parents. They keep a close watch on the children and ensure there are no fights inside the barracks. Some of the children are aggressive. If anything happens, who will be responsible? They need to be protected,” said a senior officer.
Officials said repeated representations have been made to the government. The Superintendent of the Children’s Aid Society has written to the Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Department in Pune and has also flagged the issue to senior officials. Letters have been sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who chairs the department, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare and Minister of State Sanjay Dhangar, an official said.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground remains precarious. “We keep requesting them to report for duty. Some guards have resumed work, but we cannot run the homes without full staff. They have families and children of their own,” said a senior officer at one of the homes.
The guards say the prolonged delay in payment has pushed them into financial distress. Several have been evicted from rented accommodation due to unpaid rent, while electricity connections of some were disconnected after bills went unpaid.
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“They are working for very low salaries and even those are not paid on time. The guards have warned that they will go on strike again after January 26 if the issue is not resolved,” said an officer.
Nilesh Tambe, a security guard who has worked at the Dongri children’s home for nearly eight years, said salary delays were not new but had worsened this time. “We have not received salary since November. Earlier, salaries were delayed by a month or two, but this time it has been three months. Our families depend entirely on this income, so we decided not to come to work,” Tambe said.
“Our salary is Rs 13,500 a month, which is already very low. When even that is not paid, how are we supposed to survive?” said another guard.
A superintendent at one of the children’s homes said a meeting with the concerned department was held on Thursday and assured that salaries would be released soon. “I have requested the guards to join duty and they have agreed to report for work from Friday,” the official said.
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Anup Kumar Yadav, Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, said funds had already been released. “The funds have been released to the commissioner’s office and from there they will be given to the agency in one or two days. The guards will get their salary soon,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
The Women and Child Development Department on Friday released Rs 8.05 crore to Smart Services, covering payments for June to September. However, dues for the subsequent months are yet to be disbursed.
Explaining the delay, a senior employee of Smart Services said the company initially pays salaries from its own resources and later seeks reimbursement from the government. “Initially, the company pays its employees’ salaries and submits the bills to the government department concerned. After due process and verification, the government releases the funds. The process of releasing funds takes time,” the employee said.
“The government does not release funds every month and instead clears payments for a few months together. During such periods, if the company faces a shortage of funds, employees’ salaries get delayed. As soon as the funds are received, the employees’ dues will be cleared,” the employee added.
