Shelter for runaway children at City rly station

A child assistance centre to help and rescue runaway children was officially inaugurated at the Bangalore City railway station on Wednesday.

The center has been set up jointly by the South Western Railway (SWR) and the NGO, Bosco.
The SWR has provided a new facility for the centre from where it will function henceforth. The centre was otherwise running for quite sometime at the station.

Anil Kumar Agarwal, divisional railway manager, South Western Railway, said: “We will try and ensure that separate facilities are provided for boys and girls. It is heartening to know that children from as far away as Nepal and Bhutan are getting care at the centre.”

The executive director of Bosco, Fr George P S, said the new facility would give the centre ample space and means to engage in other activities such as providing food, clothing, rest and recreation to the children.

3,987 children rescued

As per the figures available with Bosco, as many as 3,987 children — 3,585 boys and 402 girls — were rescued from the station between June 2013 and May 2014. Children have also been rescued by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP). Bosco records put their number at 231 during the same period.

The centre will function from platform number four and engage 12 staff members and volunteers on a shift basis.