Three girls embraced by families from Mumbai, Kutch and Surat

Surat: In a heartwarming ceremony marked by hope and new beginnings, three orphaned girls from a city child protection home were legally adopted by families from Mumbai, Kutch-Bhuj and Surat on Saturday.

The children were handed over through a recognised adoption agency at Popawala Orphanage in Katargam in the presence of city police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut and district collector Tejas Parmar. One of the girls had earlier been found abandoned in Dindoli by police.

Officials described the occasion as an emotional moment for both the children and the adoptive families, many of whom had long waited to experience parenthood.

Police commissioner Gahlaut said the adoptions were completed after all legal procedures laid down under the govt’s adoption framework were followed. He expressed satisfaction that the girls had found caring and secure homes.

He said that whenever an abandoned child is found, the district administration, police and child care institutions coordinate closely to ensure all legal formalities are completed before the child is placed with a suitable family.

Gahlaut also appealed to the public not to abandon children in unsafe places such as garbage bins, open grounds or near ponds, warning that such acts place innocent lives at serious risk. He stressed that children in distress can instead be safely sheltered and cared for in child protection homes.

Collector Parmar referred to the girls as “Lakshmi”, symbolising blessing and prosperity. He said one of the girls, Hasti, had been rescued from the Dindoli area, while the other two were also found under similar circumstances and raised at the child care home.

Explaining the adoption process, Parmar said the placements were facilitated through the Government of India’s CARA portal, under which prospective adoptive parents are registered and evaluated to ensure they can provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment.

One of the girl was adopted by a family from Mumbai, while the other two girls found homes with families from Kutch-Bhuj and Surat, beginning a new chapter in their lives.