Around 40 security guards deployed at three government-run children’s homes in Mumbai have stopped reporting to work after not receiving pay since November 2025, raising serious concerns over the safety of minors staying at the facilities. The guards, who work on a contract basis, earn around Rs 13,000 a month.
The affected institutions include Umarkhadi Children’s Home in Dongri, Mankhurd Children’s Home and David Sassoon Industrial School in Mahim. Authorities said the guards were hired through a private contractor, Smart Services, and have not been paid since November.
The Maharashtra government released a payment tranche late on Friday for pending salaries. Officials said cleared funds for the period from June to September, while payments for subsequent months through December are still pending.
Children’s Homes in Mumbai function as Observation Homes and Special Homes under the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act. Run by the Children’s Aid Society on behalf of the Government of Maharashtra, these institutions provide care, protection and rehabilitation to children below the age of 18 years who are in conflict with the law or in need of care and protection. The homes house minors during the investigation or trial and are responsible for ensuring their safety, education, counseling and general well-being.
The absence of guards has raised alarm bells as the Dongri children’s home houses more than 100 minors in conflict with the law, some of whom face serious charges including murder, attempted murder and offenses under the NDPS Act. The Mankhurd and Mahim facilities house around 300 and 100 children respectively, who need care and protection.
The Maharashtra government had appointed Pune-based Smart Services to hire and deploy security guards at the three facilities. According to officials, there are around 45 contracted guards at the houses, including 12 in Dongri, 18 in Mahim and 15, including female guards, in Mankhurd.
“Eight guards in Dongri, 13 in Mahim and four in Mankhurd stopped coming to work between January 13 and 15,” an officer said, describing the situation as a serious child safety issue.
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“The security guards in these houses act like parents. They keep a close eye on the children and ensure that there are no fights inside the barracks. Some of the children are aggressive. If something happens, who will be responsible? They need to be protected,” said a senior officer.
The officials said that repeated representations have been made to the government. The Superintendent of the Children’s Aid Society wrote to the Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Department in Pune and also brought the issue to the attention of senior officials. Letters have been sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the department, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare and State Minister Sanjay Dhangar, an official said.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground remains precarious. “We keep asking them to report to work. Some guards have resumed work, but we cannot run the houses without full staff. They have their own families and children,” said a senior officer at one of the houses.
Guards say the long delay in payment has plunged them into financial difficulties. Several have been evicted from rented accommodation for non-payment of rent, while some have had their electricity connection cut off for non-payment of bills.
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“They work for very low wages and even these are not paid on time. The guards have warned that they will strike again after January 26 if the problem is not resolved,” said an officer.
Nilesh Tambe, a security guard who has worked at the Dongri children’s home for almost eight years, said pay delays were not new, but this time they had gotten worse. “We have not received salaries since November. Previously, salaries were delayed by one or two months, but this time it has been three months. Our families depend entirely on this income, so we decided not to come to work,” Tambe said.
“Our salary is Rs 13,500 a month, which is already very low. If they don’t even pay us that much, how are we supposed to survive?” said another guard.
A superintendent of one of the children’s homes said a meeting was held with the department concerned on Thursday and assured that salaries would be released soon. “I have requested the guards to join the service and they have agreed to report for duty from Friday,” the official said.
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Anup Kumar Yadav, secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, said the funds had already been released. “The funds have been handed over to the commissioner’s office and from there they will be released to the agency in a day or two. The guards will receive their salaries soon,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
The Women and Child Development Department on Friday handed over Rs 8.05 crore to Smart Services, covering payments from June to September. However, because the following months are yet to be disbursed.
Explaining the delay, a senior Smart Services employee said the company initially pays salaries from its own resources and then requests reimbursement from the government. “Initially, the company pays the salaries of its employees and submits invoices to the concerned government department. After due process and verification, the government releases the funds. The process of releasing funds takes time,” the employee said.
“The government does not release funds every month but settles payments for a few months together. During such periods, if the company faces shortage of funds, employees’ salaries are delayed. As soon as the funds are received, employees’ dues will be cleared,” the employee added.