Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The ‘nobody’s children’ that you often see loitering around railway platforms have a hope. The Indian Railways is working on creating child-friendly spaces at all important platforms in association with Hope for the Children Foundation (HFCF).
One such facility already exists at Pune railway station, where children recovered from platforms are counseled. Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh said more such facilities for underprivileged kids were in the offing. These facilities will offer child-friendly entertainment, games and a home-like atmosphere.
According to railway sources, in four months of this year alone, the Railway Protection Force has recovered 2,201 children loitering in and around railway areas and travelling in trains in a suspicious manner. These children have been handed over to their parents after counseling. Most of these children fled their homes over petty issues.
In 2021, the RPF recovered 11,900 such children. “We need to have home-like spaces at railway stations where the children recovered by RPF should be kept in an amiable atmosphere. We can hand over these children to their parents after counseling,” said a senior railway official.