The Alipurduar district administration will take a slew of measures across the district to prevent crimes against children and to develop the hamlets as “shishubandhab gram” or child-friendly villages.

The decision was made after some recent incidents where minor girls were raped. Two were murdered to conceal the crimes.

R. Vimala, the district magistrate, said on Thursday that they had passed instructions to blocks to activate child protection committees at the gram panchayats.

“All panchayat-level child protection committees will conduct a meeting by November 15. At the meetings, they will plan house-to-house visits, and interaction with children, especially those with special needs, those who stay with grandparents and relatives. Complaint boxes will be put in localities where anybody, including a child, can post a complaint. The idea is to develop rural areas as child-friendly villages,” she said.

Initially, the administration has identified 53 of 64 panchayats of the district where the exercise would be carried out. In the remaining 11 panchayats, the focus will be on child protection and socio-economic uplift of women.

A source in the administration said they want to evolve a mechanism to ensure that children and adolescents are safe.

“The members of the committees, along with local residents, will keep watch on children. Like the villages, committees would be activated in the municipal wards of Alipurduar and Falakata (two civic areas of the district,” said the source.

The committees will also ensure that children get proper nutrition in schools, track dropouts and and families that have migrated to other states while leaving their children here.