Children of Gandhi Sevashram clean up an abandoned pond. Telegraphs picture

Balasore, April 19: Residents of Jaleswar town were shocked and angry after they found inmates of an orphanage engaged in physical labour under the scorching sun yesterday.

Around 15 children staying at Gandhi Sevashram in Jaleswar’s Santia were found cleaning an abandoned pond. The secretary of the residential institution had allegedly asked the children to do it.

A local resident and social activist Aswani Kumar Nath said: “Yesterday, the children, most of them below 14 years of age, were asked to toil under the hot sun and clean a private and unused tank.”

“The secretary of the institution hardly takes care of the inmates, who live in unhealthy and unhygienic conditions and get inadequate food. The children continue to bear the neglect and apathy silently,” he said.

Denying allegations of neglect and exploitation, Kesab Kumar Kar, secretary of the orphanage, said: “We used to take a lot of care of the inmates. Yesterday, some of them were engaged to clean a pond for cultivating spinach and allied vegetables.”

“The inmates, themselves, would ultimately consume these vegetables,” he said.

District child protection officer Itishree Mohapatra said: “I haven’t received any complaint. However, I will inquire into the allegations.”

“All orphanages are inspected on a regular basis, and I will seek an explanation from the orphanage authorities,” she said.

Established in 1981 to provide shelter to orphans, the orphanage receives grant from the state government’s women and child welfare department. At present, around 82 boys and girls stay at the orphanage.