Intensify drive to trace missing children: CM

Bhopal: Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has given strict directives to officers to further intensify drive to trace missing children. He directed to streamline children’s security arrangements and ensure concrete measures in right earnest and sensitiveness to reduce incidents of children’s disappearance. The Chief Minister chaired a meeting in this regard at Mantralaya here today. Chief Secretary Shri Anthony de Sa and DGP Shri Surendra Sinh were present.

The Chief Minister said that missing of children is a matter for concern. It should be taken with full seriousness. He directed to keep watch over suspicious persons at railway stations and bus stands. Police should remain alert at every level. Drive to trace missing children should be intensified. It should also be ascertained whether some organised gang is active or not. He directed regular monitoring of Operation Muskan also.

The Chief Minister explicitly said that Supreme Court’s orders regarding this should be followed. Besides, better implementation of Juvenile Justice Act should also be ensured. The Chief Secretary and DGP informed that the police is conducting drive to trace missing children in right earnest. They informed that most of the missing children have been traced. About 92 percent children have been traced. To trace remaining missing children, intensive drive is being undertaken under Operation Muskan. Process to trace missing children has been intensified by contacting family members of missing children and information received from them. For this a control room has also been set up at CID office. Besides, child helpline is functioning in 24 districts, which will be expanded to remaining district.

ACS Home Shri B.P. Singh, ADG CID Shri G.P. Singh, ADG Intelligence Shri Sarabjit Singh, ADG Women’s Crime Branch Smt. Aruna Mohan Rao, Principal Secretary to CM Shri Iqbal Singh Bains, Commissioner Women’s Empowerment Smt. Kalpana Shrivastava and other officers were also present.