The Hindu : Spacious home for street children proposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 31, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Spacious home for street children proposed

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM MAY 30. The street children adopted by the Public and Police Association (PAPA) for street children will soon get a spacious home on the city outskirts.

The State Government is processing the application of PAPA for allotment of two acres at Bakkannapalem on the outskirts of the city (near Pothina Mallayyapalem). "The Lions Club has agreed in principle to contribute funds for construction of a building,'' the Commissioner of Police, B. Prasada Rao, said here on Friday.

The PAPA started its project for providing education, food and shelter to street children in the city in 1999 when K. Durga Prasad was the Commissioner of Police. The project, which was initially started in a two-room tenement provided by the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation was later shifted to the Police Barracks due to increase in the number of children.

Speaking at a meeting held here in connection with sanction of sports and other items provided by the VMC with the UK-based Department For International Development (DFID) funds, Dr. Prasada Rao said that the police took the initiative to provide a better life to the street children with a missionary zeal.

The Municipal Commissioner, Naveen Mittal, said that he was very much impressed with the project and promised to extend more help for rehabilitating more children. On the request of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman, S.R. Rao, the VMC would soon release Rs.5 lakhs from the taxes paid by the port to the corporation.

The PAPA founder-president, K. Vasudeva Rao, said that of 45 children, nine had been restored to their parents after counselling. Most of the children left their homes due to parental harassment, poverty and other factors, he said.

The PAPA had rescued the children in deplorable conditions from the railway station, bus complex and other places. They were being provided education and other facilities after periodical health check-up by the King George Hospital paediatrician, P. Venugopala Rao.

Mr. Vasudeva Rao said that retention of children was very crucial as most of them were in the habit of running away from the PAPA Home. Creating conducive atmosphere by training them on yoga and meditation was important to improve the retention rate, he remarked. At present, 29 children were being sent to various schools while the remaining were offered a bridge course.

The PAPA secretary, P. Satyanarayana, said that the association was meeting its recurring expenses with Rs.3 lakhs released by the VMC under the DFID-funded scheme.

The retired Revenue Divisional Officer, Prabhakara Rao, said that it would be better if the school managements came forward to sponsor the education of street children.

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