By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Social Welfare department is awaiting the approval of the Union Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) to allocate funds for construction of a permanent juvenile home at the proposed three acre land at Mawdiangdiang.
“We have submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) amounting to Rs 7.8 crore for construction of the permanent juvenile home to the DoNER Ministry,” official sources told The Shillong Times here on Tuesday.
Official sources also informed that the DPR was submitted to the Ministry in 2010. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has recently has pursued the matter with the DoNER Ministry.
“We are hopeful that the DoNER Ministry would allocate the funds for construction of the permanent juvenile home at the earliest,” official sources said.
It may be reminded that at present the juvenile home is being operated from a rented house at Cleve Colony.
“The existing juvenile home can only accommodate about 40 inmates,” official sources said and admitted that the place is has become too congested so the inmates do not have enough space for outdoor activities.
Not only this, being an old wooden house, the structure of the building has also become very weak, official sources said.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the department is planning to construct two separate homes- one for the boys and the other for girls in the proposed land at Mawdiangdiang.
In this new permanent structure, there would proper space allotted for the inmates to have their outdoor activities, official sources said.
“We are also aiming to reserve some land for agricultural purposes. The basic idea is to inculcate the farming habit among the inmates during their stay in the juvenile home,” official sources added.