LAHORE, May 6: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi directed police on Tuesday to capture crippled children found begging and announced that the government would table a bill in the assembly regarding elimination of the menace.

He was presiding over a meeting during which his advisers Dr Faiza Asghar and Dr Javed Asghar presented reports about the miserable lot of women and children in Lahore’s Camp and Kot Lakhpat, and Faisalabad jails.

He said the government intended to curb begging and to sternly deal with those forcing children to beg, especially after distorting their limbs.

Mr Elahi asked Dr Faiza to start recovering such children and arrange their education and economic rehabilitation.

He said schools were being set up in jails for juveniles. He would inaugurate one such school in Lahore’s Camp Jail being established by Bishop Dr Alexander John Malik with the government assistance.

He directed social welfare, education, health and zakat departments to extend full assistance to Dr Faiza in her bid to provide relief to children living with their mothers in jails and juveniles.

Mr Elahi said arrangements should also be made for the mental rehabilitation of the juvenile prisoners and announced that he would visit all jails in the province in near future.

He directed the departments concerned to implement projects regarding recreation and sports activities of disabled children in the Lahore’s Children Complex.

Earlier, Dr Faiza maintained that during her visit to the jails she found miserable lot of the children of the prisoner women. There were improper residential facilities for juveniles in Faisalabad Jail, she said.

The chief minister took a serious note of the non-availability of drinking water in Faisalabad Jail and directed the Faisalabad Development Authority to provide it at the earliest.