Telangana Police gears up for ‘Operation Muskaan -X’
Hyderabad: Telangana police are gearing up for Operation Muskaan X, a month-long initiative to trace and rescue the missing children and reunite them with their families. The initiative will be conducted under the aegis of Telangana police women safety wing – nodal agency for the implementation.
Operation Muskan is being conducted by the Telangana State Police Department in coordination with other concerned departments every year from July 1 to July 31 to find missing children, child labourers,bonded labourers, begging and trafficked children, and rescue them.
On Saturday, Telangana Women Security Department as nodal agency conducted a convergence meeting under the leadership of Additional Director General of Police, Women Safety Wing, Shikha Goel to bring coordination among all stakeholders.
Emphasizing the points discussed during the meeting, Ande Venkateswarlu, Telangana state coordinator of Bachpan Bachao Andolan(BBA) told Hyderabad Mail,“During the meeting we discussed post-rescue procedures for children after a child is rescued. Earlier after booking cases there was lack of adequate legal action against offenders. Each and every stakeholder have designated responsibilities to be followed. For instance the labour department tasked with filing an Inspector report following a rescue. If any school drop is identified, the education department must ensure the school dropout resume his education. The health department is tasked to conduct a medical examination to determine the age and assess the health condition of the rescued child. The women and child welfare department plays a crucial role in identifying suitable child homes in each district for the rehabilitation of rescued children”.
Last year Cyberabad saw highest rescues
Last year in the “Operation Muskan – IX” which was conducted in Telangana state under the supervision of the Women Safety Wing rescued 2617 children including 2354 boys and 263 girls.
Police teams would be formed under the coordination of Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Labour, Health, Child Welfare Department. Committees (CWC), District Child Protection Units, concerned District NGOs to participate in this operation. Further the teams were trained on Standard Operating Procedures, Laws by the Women Security Department. (J.J Act 2015, Child/Bonded Labor Act etc.,) i.e. use of Telangana Police Technology Apps, DARPAN and facial recognition features in Track Child portals.
CM Revanth Reddy reorganizes disaster management for Greater Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has decided to assign critical responsibilities to the Disaster Management Department within Greater Hyderabad. He has directed officials to implement structural changes and redistribute responsibilities accordingly. In a review meeting at the Secretariat on Monday evening, the Chief Minister discussed the reorganization with officials from Municipal Administration, HMDA, and Musi Development.
Expansion of disaster management responsibilities
Recognizing the geographic expansion of Hyderabad, the Chief Minister ordered the Disaster Management Department to extend its jurisdiction to the Outer Ring Road. He suggested including GHMC, 27 surrounding municipalities and corporations, and 33 gram panchayats within its service area. The department will be renamed the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring Protection (HYDRA). The Chief Minister proposed appointing a DIG-level officer as the director and SP-level officers as additional directors. He also recommended special teams from GHMC, HMDA, the Water Board, city traffic, and other departments to join this new division.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need for the Disaster Management Department to offer continuous services to city residents, not just during floods or emergencies. HYDRA should actively address all issues faced by Hyderabad’s citizens, including preserving the city’s tanks and ponds, protecting government properties from encroachments, and managing hoardings and flex banners. Additionally, HYDRA will oversee water pipelines, electricity supply lines, drainage, flood management, and traffic control.
Focus on heritage and infrastructure projects
Chief Minister Reddy directed the acceleration of the Musi River Development Project, aiming to elevate Hyderabad’s international reputation. He stressed the importance of working towards the government’s goal of transforming this project into a landmark. He also ordered officials to take necessary actions to restore historical buildings and structures within the city. The GHMC presented a PowerPoint on various heritage sites, such as the City Library, Charminar Ayurvedic Hospital, and Nizamia Observatory etc. The Chief Minister encouraged exploring ways to develop these sites for tourism and integrating feasible ones into the Musi River Development Project.
The Chief Minister instructed Chief Secretary Shantikumar to draft a comprehensive reorganization plan, including staffing, duties, and budget allocations for HYDRA. He also emphasized identifying key areas where the Disaster Management Department can enhance its operations.
The meeting included Chief Secretary Shantikumar, Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Danakishore, GHMC Commissioner Amrapali, GHMC Vigilance Disaster Management Commissioner A.V. Ranganath, and Hyderabad Water Board MD Ashok Reddy.
