NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind initiative, the Indian Railway has started creating a child-friendly space for underprivileged children, who are spotted loitering in and around the railway stations or recovered from trains at all important railway stations.
Recent one such child-friendly space has been created at Pune railway station in association with the HFCF, where proper counselling of underprivileged children is done after recovering them and before handling them over to their parents. Such space would be created in association with various social organisations at all important stations, not with HFCF.
According to MoS Railways Darshana Jardosh, the Indian Railways has created this child-friendly space at Pune railway station to take up issue of underprivileged kids who are found at railway stations. "In association with the HFCF, the IR has made all arrangement for proper counselling of all those children, who are recovered from station and brought to Pune railway station-based child friendly space," she said.
All facilities have been provided at the child -friendly space for entertainment, play and giving homely feel to the children, who are brought for proper counselling.
The railway is planning to create such child friendly space at almost all important railway stations across the country in association with various social organizations interested in rendering such services to children.
According to railway sources, around 2,201 children, loitering in and around the railway areas and travelling in trains in suspicious conditions have so far recovered by the RPF in 2022. They all have been handed over to their parents after proper counselling as majority of them had fled away from their over petty issues with their parents.
In the same way in 2021, 11,900 children were e recovered by the RPF all over the railway. "There is a need to make a home like place at railway staion where children recovered by the RPF are keeping a home like atmosphere. Most of the recovered children happen to run away from their homes after petty issues with their parents. They are counselled at the child-friendly space and then handed over to their parents," a senior railway official said.