SOS Balgram children may get to stay on, WCD now plans to only change management
Department has written to state government seeking opinion on appointing new administrator
SOS Balgram is located on 9 acres of government land
The children of SOS Balgram may now be able to continue their education and stay at the same place. After having issued a closure notice to the organisation earlier this year, the women and child welfare department (WCD) is learnt to be keen on appointing a new administrator now and not disturbing the 200-odd students who would have to be otherwise transferred to other WCD-run homes in the state.
The WCD has written to the government, asking for an opinion on “appointing a new administrator and not shifting out the children”. A senior official from the WCD said even as there were talks about sending the children to other homes, the department has decided to take another opinion so that the children were not affected. “The children are already into the academic year. Shifting them out would affect the academics. Even as the same management will not remain, we will look at the appointment of a new administrator and we would be directly supervising the operations,” said the official. The decision will bring respite to the children as well as former students who have been constantly campaigning for them.
Earlier this year, the WCD had ordered cancellation of the licence and the closure of Balgram. This meant immediate evacuation of the children to other homes run by the WCD. However, when the Pune district women and child development department initiated the process of transferring the children, former students held a protest against the closure of Balgram.
The WCD had to take a step back and maintain status quo, though it is still firm on not allowing the current management to stay. “We do not want the management to continue but we do not want the students to suffer. So the appointment of a new administrator and a new management has been proposed. Students will be able to continue living in the same environment in that case. The government will have to take a final call on this,” said the department official.
With Balgram standing on 9 acres of government land, the WCD can easily give it to another management and not let the children suffer. “The priority is to rehabilitate the children. If a new management comes in, it would ensure better administration,” said the official. Balgram was in the eye of the storm with several cases of sexual exploitation being reported from there. The death of a six-year-old child allegedly due to late medical attention too had come to the fore. The organisation run by an NGO based in Sweden used to get funds upto Rs 5,000 per child per month.
The cancellation orders mainly highlighted the issues of administration, which mainly revolved around corruption, negligence, education, food, clothes and hygiene.
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