(ANS – Bangalore) – On 9 July a new child assistance centre was inaugurated in Bangalore Railway Station by Mr. Anil Kumar Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, Southern Western Railways.  The new service is under the direction of Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO).  This was a long time wish for BOSCO that has now been fulfilled by obtaining from the Railways a rent-free space with adequate facilities for the children rescued on the platforms.

BOSCO is a voluntary organization of the Salesians of the Bangalore province. It works primarily for the rescue and rehabilitation of street children or young people who have run away from home or are working in the city of Bangalore.

The event was honoured with the presence of Umesh Aradya, Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights; Shashikala U. Shetty, Project Director of ICPS, Sunada Arul Assistant Divisional Railway Manager; Fr Edward Thomas; members of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and several other important officers of the Indian Railways.

“BOSCO has been doing wonderful work for the past three decades. The nature of the work they do is overwhelming and heart touching. Saving street children from falling into wrong hands is the invaluable work that BOSCO has initiated,” said Mr Agarwal while inaugurating the child assistance centre.

“It is the passion, love and commitment for protecting the lives and rights of the children that motivates BOSCO to do this challenging work”, said Fr. George P.S, Executive Director of BOSCO.  

The Child Rescue booth will start functioning from platform number 4 of Bangalore City railway station. It aims to rescue the scores of children who arrive there daily, and to protect child rights in general. It is estimated that about fifty to sixty  children run away daily and arrive in the city of Bangalore, mostly at the railway station and Bus station.

Since 1998 BOSCO had been operating an assistance centre on platform number 2. The space was rented from the railways. It is to the credit of BOSCO that after several years of advocacy with the Railway Ministry and the Karnataka state Department of Women and Child Development, the railways have now come forward to provide a child assistance centre free of charge on platform No. 4.

BOSCO has been rescuing and rehabilitating railway children since 1980 and its presence in the station and bus stands has led to the rescue and rehabilitation of very many children and youths. BOSCO has placed twelve full-time staff members and several volunteers at the City railway station round the clock on a shift basis. The rescue booth provides food, clothing, first aid and medicines to the rescued children, as well as bathing facilities and recreational programmes. They also try to track the families of the children who are rescued, and offer counselling to the children.

The Child assistance booth at the Bangalore city railway station can be contacted round the clock on the following phone numbers: 1098, 08022156988 and 9141709720.

Published 23/07/2014