CUTTACK: In an initiative that can change lives of vagrants and child destitutes, who have made Cuttack railway station their home, the district administration has moved to take them under its fold and ensure their mainstreaming and rehabilitation.
A special drive has been launched by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to rescue the children and wean them away from their hazardous addiction to adhesives and whiteners. Six children including a girl were rescued by district child protection unit which produced them before CWC on Thursday which in turn admitted them to de-addiction centres in the city.
The girl was sent to Vasundhara shelter, three boys were admitted to Project Swarajya and the rest to Parichay de-addiction centre. The doctors and counsellors from the de-addiction centres will visit Vasundhara to take care of the girl.
Spearheaded by Collector Girish SN, the administration had undertaken a survey of the destitute children living at Cuttack railway station and identified 19 such children. All of them were found to be addicted to adhesive intoxicants, primarily Dendrite. They were mainly involved in begging, sweeping train compartments and other menial jobs to earn money which was mostly used in procuring the adhesives. The craving for such substance has also driven the young children to petty crime and theft.
With the money spent on the intoxicants, they were left with nothing and lived in hunger. They had also contracted ailments due to the substance abuse. “The drive has been launched with twin objectives of freeing the Cuttack station of destitute children as well as ensuring proper rehabilitation of the rescued ones. The children are being counselled and motivated by experts to leave the station and quit their addiction with a promise of better life with dignity. As a first success, six have come forward with the will to quit,” Girish said.
The administration has also started providing free mid-day meal to the children at the Railway school. With the children’s complete withdrawal from the addiction, they will be brought into the mainstream. Those who want to study will be admitted to residential schools and others will be provided vocational training and jobs, the Collector said.
Adhesive intoxication is a major problem among destitute children and street tramps. The adhesive contains toulene, which dissolves in brain cells to give a high - manifested in pleasant feelings and hallucination. However, it is extremely toxic and causes severe kidney and liver damage while affecting mental health.
“The CWC has taken upon itself the task to rescue these children, ensure their total de-addiction and rehabilitation. The children are being motivated to decide on their own as any crackdown or forcible admission to de-addiction centres will prove futile. The exercise will be expanded to other street children and destitute gradually,” CWC chairperson Bikash Mohapatra said.