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Bengal

Mamata announces formation of committee to check child trafficking

Stating the incident of newborn trafficking as “unfortunate”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced in the Assembly on Monday that a committee, comprising of both bureaucrats and politicians, will be formed to check child trafficking.

Besides, parliamentary minister Partha Chatterjee will be the chairman and Chief Secretary convener of the committee and veteran Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan and CPI(M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty will also be in the committee.

Banerjee said, “The committee will function in a better way if the members are both from political field and bureaucracy. Partha Chatterjee will be the chairman of the committee and the Chief Secretary convener. The state’s home secretary, health secretary, women and child development secretary, director general of police and commissioner of Kolkata Police will also be in the committee.”

The members of the committee will be discussing the issues related to child trafficking and would take necessary steps to put an end to the trafficking of children. The members of the committee will be meeting once a month and prepare report on the development in the situation.

The Chief Minister said that the incidents of child trafficking was unfortunate and expressed her concern. She said, “It is a social problem and trafficking of children first came to light in 1982. Charge sheet of the case was filed in 1999. It became a cause of concern when the matter resurfaced in 2010. Again, on November 21, CID arrested some people and busted a racket. A total 20 were arrested. Bodies of two children were exhumed and CID officers recovered 10 children from a home at Thakurpukur and three from Sohan Nursing Home. One of the three children was handed over to her parents after necessary verification. We have to be aware and cautious as some nursing homes and NGOs are involved. The licenses of all the three nursing homes were suspended and those will be cancelled as well.”

It may be mentioned that Congress had placed a request for discussion on the issue of newborn child trafficking that came to light in the state a few weeks ago with officers of Criminal Investigating Department (CID) arresting 20 people for their involvement with the racket.

Mannan welcomed the Chief Minister’s move of forming the committee and said that the discussion they had requested for would not be required as the Chief Minister had already addressed the issue.
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