No permanent counsellor and a crammed activity room at the state correctional facility for juvenile delinquents and adjoining children's shelter in Ghaghidih, 6km from Jamshedpur, left a frown on the forehead of Rajesh Kumar, under-secretary, Union ministry of women and child development.

The senior bureaucrat was in the steel city on Friday and, during his two-hour review of the remand home, directed East Singhbhum child protection officer Chanchal Kumari to push the state government for appointment of a full-time counsellor and expansion of the crammed activity area.

"We informed the under-secretary that we have been trying to compensate for counselling sessions by roping in as many as five voluntary organisations. The government is expected to recruit a full-time counsellor soon," said district child protection officer Chanchal.

The Ghaghidih remand home has 19 inmates while the adjoining shelter too has 19 boys, but the common activity room is too small for 38 children although the premises of the correctional facility sprawls over two acres.

"We have sought funds from the state government for construction of an additional activity room," said Chanchal.

Kumar who reached Circuit House in Bistupur later in the evening refused to divulge much about his visit to the correctional facility.

"We cannot speak about the visit to the media. I have made a few suggestions to the local authorities, which will be passed on to the state government. We are focusing on bringing these children to the mainstream. Many of them will be appearing for their matriculation and intermediate exams," he said.

Kumar will leave for New Delhi on Saturday.

MISSING TEEN

A 14-year-old girl went missing from a state-run shelter in Ranchi on Friday morning, exposing chinks in security that the authorities refuse to see. The teenager was brought to Premashray in Chutia two days ago for counselling over her love affair with a junkie, but it is yet to be ascertained if she eloped with the youth or was forcibly whisked away