Women & Child Development Minister of Delhi Shri Kailash Gahlot chaired a meeting to review the development of the proposed integrated complex for children (boys) in Alipur. The meeting was attended by senior officers from the Department of Women & Child Development and Public Works Department(PWD). During the meeting, the initial design concept and layout plan of the integrated complex were presented by PWD.
The integrated complex is proposed to be developed as a basement plus four-storey structure. The total campus will spread across 8.44 acres and the proposed plan has a total built-up area of 13643 sqm. (basement: 3380 sqm. ground floor: 2759 sqm., first floor: 2670 sqm., second floor: 2684 sqm., third floor: 2150 sqm.). The complex is expected to house a total of 200 children (70 in the Place of Safety, 100 in the Observation Home and 30 in the Special Home). The complex will be built with a provision of lifts, ramps and accessible toilets to also ensure that it is child friendly as well as disabled-friendly. Recreational spaces, libraries, playground and dedicated dining areas are also being planned alongside the integrated development of different homes.
During the meeting, Shri Kailash Gahlot directed the WCD officials to expedite the process of building the integrated complex and finalise the specifications of the complex at the earliest. The idea is to ensure that every child staying in institutional care should feel at home until the time they can be restored to their families.
Earlier on 16 July 2022, Shri Kailash Gahlot at an event organised at the Sanskar Ashram Complex, North East Delhi on the occasion of ‘World Day for International Justice’ announced that a plan in consultation with experts, architects and PWD is to be worked out to develop a state of art model integrated complex for children in need of institutional care. The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) had since in close consultation with the Public Works Department developed a plan for building a model integrated complex for children (boys) in Alipur, North Delhi.
The Department of Women & Child Development has a total of 99 Child Care Institutions in Delhi. In the financial year of 2021-22 total 7132 children were recommended to these Child Care Institutions and 5805 children in CCIs have been restored to their families. WCD Delhi has such government-run institutions located at seven locations across the state in Lajpat Nagar, Hari Nagar, Alipur, Kingsway Camp, Delhi Gate, Majnu Ka Tila and Dilshad Garden. However, many of these institutions have inadequate infrastructure and regular maintenance of existing structures is often not undertaken.
To initiate the upgradation of institutional care homes in Delhi, an integrated complex is proposed to be built in Alipur, comprising a place of safety, an observation home, a special home, a juvenile justice board, an administrative unit, a medical Unit, a mental health unit, residences and a PWD office as per the norms laid out. Having all these amenities accessible in one place will benefit the management and make administration more efficient and responsive to the needs of the children placed here.
Shri Kailash Gahlot stated that “there is an immediate need for re-assessing the infrastructural adequacy of present institutions and identifying the gaps in providing vulnerable children the best possible infrastructure in these Government-run institutions. It is pertinent that these institutions promote the health, growth and wellbeing of these children until they are restored within families again.”
The minister further stated, “The wellbeing of the children is of utmost priority to the government and the model complex in Alipur is intended to provide for a respectable and healthy environment for remedial care and holistic development of children housed there. The complex will thus be equipped with augmented safety and security standards. Given the turbulent and vulnerable backgrounds of these children, the complex will at all times be equipped with round-the-clock staff support systems and medical and mental health support units. The norms for building these spaces, the visual aesthetics of the complex and the architectural design is being decided after due consultations with child rights experts, architects, PWD and the administrative department, i.e. the Department of Women and Child Development. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Government is committed to providing a respectable, healthy and positive remedial environment for children in institutional care homes.”
