Now, cradle for abandoned infants in Patiala

Gagan K Teja

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 26

Taking inspiration from the “Phangura” (cradle) scheme that is successfully running in Amritsar, Bathinda and Ludhiana, the Patiala district administration recently installed a cradle at Yadvendra Puran Bal Niketan here. The scheme aims at ensuring that infants, who are abandoned by their parents for one reason or the other, are taken care of.

This is the first such cradle in Patiala and nearby districts, which is aimed at saving the lives of “unwanted” children, who are often dumped in secluded places. The move comes after four such incidents were reported in Patiala district in the past few months, wherein children were found dumped at various places during night hours. The condition of one such child, who was found abandoned in Patran, was very critical but was saved later after medical care.

However, in August 2012, an infant boy had breathed his last after his mother delivered the child at Government Rajindra Hospital’s bathroom and abandoned him there.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam said the District Child Protection Unit had taken up this initiative of installing the cradle. Roojam said the cradle is attached to a bell which rings automatically with the weight of child. “Any person can leave an infant in the cradle and the caretaker of the Bal Niketan will pick up the child soon after the bell rings. The identity of the parents or any single mother will not be quizzed in case they decide to stay there till the child is picked up by officials and the child will be taken to a hospital for proper medical examination for necessary medical assistance. Later, the child could be adopted from there since Yadvendra Puran Bal Niketan is a licensed adoption centre,” he added.

Since the installation of cradles in Amritsar and Bathinda in 2008 and 2009, respectively, over 120 babies have already been left there.