Berhampur: Gajapati district administration rescued 79 children, including 32 girls, from an illegally-run private hostel at Rangamatia near Mohana on Tuesday afternoon. The administration has sealed the hostel, official sources said on Wednesday.The rescued children, aged between 10 and 16 years old, belonging to different villages in Mohana and Nuagada blocks, were handed over to their parents after producing them in the child welfare committee (CWC), which held its hearing on the spot.Almost all the rescued children have been rehabilitated in different govt-run hostels to continue their studies, said Arun Kumar Tripathy, district child protection officer (DCPO). Out of 79, 52 students belong to SC/ST and they have been rehabilitated in the hostels of the welfare departments, he said.He said the district administration issued a closure notice to the hostel owner about four months ago. Despite the warning, its owner again ran it after the opening of the schools to accommodate more students. As its owner defied the order of the district administration, the hostel was sealed, he said.A team consisting of the district education officer (DEO), Mayadhar Sahu, district welfare officer (DWO), Salman Raika, protection officer of the district social welfare office (DSWO), Sarala Patra, DCPO and police jointly raided the hostel and rescued the children. “During the raids, we saw all the children were confined to two separate rooms in unhygienic conditions,” he said.The hostel was not registered as per the law to house the minor children, said Tripathy. After getting information about its illegal function, Gajapati collector issued a closure notice to its owner about four months ago, he said. The hostel was operating 7 to 8 months ago, sources said.
