The Government Railway Police (GRP), in association with Railway Child Help Desk, rescued 90 children under ‘Operation Muskan’ at the railway station. They were natives of different places in Andhra Pradesh, said GRP Superintendent of Police K.V. Mohan Rao.
Addressing newsmen here on Monday, the SP said a special drive was taken up from July 1 to 31, by the GRP, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Labour and Women Development and Child Welfare Departments, Railway Child Help Desk and some NGOs, in which 78 boys and 12 girls were rescued at the Vijayawada railway station.
“The children escaped from homes and hostels owing to reasons such as harassment, poverty, broken families, vices and lavishness and were taking shelter on the railway premises,” Mr. Rao said.
Railway Dy. SP M. Sathi Babu said of the rescued children, 67 were handed over to their parents, 17 were provided shelter in government and NGO shelter homes and six were given temporary shelter in homes through Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
The rescued children include runaway, streetchildren, beggars, missing and abandoned children, the SP said, and interacted with the victims at his office.
Vijayawada Station Superintendent Ch. Suresh requested passengers and the general public to alert the South Central Railway (SCR), GRP and RPF officials by calling ‘Dial 100’, 0866-2576006, 1098 or 182, when they noticed children wandering in trains and platforms.
CWC member S. Balashowry, Railway Childline coordinator K. Srikanth, city coordinator A. Ramesh, GRP Vijayawada CI Ratna Raju and other police officials were present.
