The Special Task Force (STF), shouldered with the responsibility to track down hardened criminals, will lend a helping hand to beggar children, addicted to thinner and various other sedatives by launching a drive to rehabilitate them. To ensure success of the drive, the STF would involve other stakeholders, including women and child welfare department and non-government organisations (NGO), in the drive to be launched from first week of May.
STF decided to take the initiative after it received inputs that several beggar children are using thinners and other materials as sedatives. After receiving the inputs, senior STF officials prepared a complete plan for rehabilitation.
STF sources said that they have inputs that the beggar children gather at different busy intersections where they reportedly inhale thinners and other sedatives before embarking on begging daily morning. They all live in different slums.
The beggar children live in the group of two to three children.
They spent their day on city streets. Everyday, they spent large chunk of the money they make by begging on purchasing the sedatives. In the evening, they go back to their makeshifts in the slums. STF also received inputs that the beggar children take sedatives twice or thrice daily. Addiction is spoiling the children and deteriorating their health.
"Addicted to the sedatives, the beggar children are in the age bracket of 7-14. Some of them are below the age of 7. They remain under effect of sedative daylong and before going home, they take a heavy dose of these sedatives," the STF source said, adding that they also received information that some of them were given tranquilizers by their beggar parents.
Also, the STF sleuths are taking efforts to find out exact number of the beggar children, using sedatives.
As part of their plan, the STF sleuths found out where these children live, when they leave their makeshift, their daily income. A STF source said, "The parents of the children into beggary are least bothered about their addiction. They don't even want to talk about the matter, let alone taking efforts to keep the children away from the beggary."
There might be 20 such children in the district. Before the drive for rehabilitation starts, the STF would hold meeting with the stakeholders, including NGO, child and women development department officials, police and administrative officials. After carrying out the drive in the district, the STF will launch it in Haridwar also.
Senior Superintendent of Police STF Senthil Akdai Krishanraj said, "After elections, the STF with other stakeholders is planning to launch such a drive to rehabilitate the children in beggary and addicted to different sedatives.
The STF will involve all stakeholders to ensure success of the drive. On our parts, efforts have been started for it." A complete plan was ready for the drive aimed at ensuring rehabilitation of these children by involving other stake holders, he said. Simultaneously, the STF would also track down the gangs providing sedatives to the beggar children. Strict action would be ensured against the gang members.