Child rights commission takes up rehabilitation of orphans

NEW DELHI - Six children, including a brother-sister duo, left orphaned in the east Delhi building collapse should be provided the services of a counsellor to help them cope with the trauma, the Delhi Commission of Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has said.

The child rights organisation has issued notice to the Delhi chief secretary on the rehabilitation of the children.

According to an official of the DCPCR, six children were orphaned in the building collapse in Lalita Park area of east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar Monday night, in which 69 people lost their lives.

“The commission, taking cognisance of various media reports, sent a team to the collapse site Thursday to see the status of the children affected by the incident and the measures taken to rehabilitate them,” a DCPCR official told IANS Friday.

Among the six children are a brother-sister duo, Anna and Nirmal Haldar. While Anna is 18 years of age, Nirmal is 10. Not only have they lost their parents to the tragedy, none of their relatives from their home town in West Bengal has come forward to take up their responsibility.

“The commission was informed that the children would be presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Mayur Vihar. But after speaking to Anna, it was decided that it would be done at the rehabilitation centre in the community centre in front of the site,” the official told IANS.

“Nirmal is admitted at the Guru Tegh Bahadur hospital at the moment with injuries. We are hoping that the legal formalities are completed in a day or two and the children are adopted by some family soon,” he added.

Three other children - Shibu, aged 14, Ishwar, 8, and Bhola, 4 - who have also been orphaned in the accident, have been adopted by their grandmother and aunt, the official said.

Tina Haldar, aged four, who lost her parents, will be taken care of by her grandmother. “The grandmother is recuperating in the hospital at the moment,” the official said.

Considering the shock and trauma that the children must have endured by the sudden loss of their parents, the commission has asked the director of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences to provide the services of a counsellor to them.

“It is important that the children accept the truth so that they can face the future with a stable mind. This is why talking to a counsellor is crucial for the kids,” the official said.

The DCPCR has also issued notice to the Delhi chief secretary and other authorities to send a report on the status of rehabilitation of the children. It has also issued a notice to the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to furnish details on what steps were taken for the children.