Chennai, Jun 14 (IANS): After seven girls were rescued in a span of four days from child marriage in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri, the district administration has decided that it would act tough against the menace, while also conducting awareness programmes to prevent these.

Talking to IANS, Krishnagiri District Collector, Dr. Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy said that the administration would act tough against the perpetrators, while Social Welfare Department officials would be directed to conduct proper awareness among families against child marriages.

The district administration would also rope in School Education Department to create awareness among children on the need for higher education.

On Friday, three child marriages were stopped by the police and the ChildLine activists in the district. The local police got a tip-off on Sunday that four girls were getting married and police reached Doddamanju panchayat in Kodakkarai tribal village at night along with Childline activists and prevented it. The marriage was to be solemnized at a temple deep inside the forest in the tribal settlement but the policemen and the Childline activist prevented it and rescued four girls, who were school-going children aged 14 to 16 years.

Social activist R. Dhananjayan told IANS that the Social Welfare Department "has to be more proactive and involved in the day-to-day developments in the tribal areas and other backward areas of the district to prevent such happenings".