CHANDIGARH:  The first phase of the innovative project for empowering street children and helping them to cope, being constructed at Maloya, will be functional this year.

This was announced by the Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen. (Retd.), S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM during his visit at the developmental projects, here Friday.

Rodrigues asked the executing agencies to adhere to the schedule of completion of different phases and create necessary support services and infrastructural facilities for housing 300 children and training them in different vocations in the first phase by August, 2008 and subsequently making it ready, in all respects, to accommodate 900 street children by March, next year.

Accompanied by  Jean Rodrigues, the Administrator went round the complex under construction and discussed with senior officers of Chandigarh Housing Board, Engineering Department and Social Welfare Department, the details of the facilities to be created in the state-of-the-art project.

He asked the Secretary Finance –cum-Engineering, Sanjay Kumar, to coordinate the endeavour and to ensure that peripheral services, such as sewerage, storm water, water supply and electricity and all necessary infrastructure for commencing the operation of the first phase must be in place for providing accommodation and training facilities, besides making arrangement for furniture, deployment/recruitment of staff and for identification of children to be housed in the Vocational Training Center. 

It may be recalled that General Rodrigues laid the foundation of this Rs. 7.40 crore unique project on September 7, 2007, setting a deadline for the completion of the project. It will extend vocational training facilities to street children in electrical, electronics repair/assembling services, beauty culture, cutting, tailoring and embroidery, motor mechanic, carpentry, food processing and dress designing to enable them to lead lives of dignity, respect and confidence.

General Rodrigues also took stock of the progress of construction work at the vocational Training and Production Center, in Sector 46-D. He told the executing agencies that the vocational training and production center, being constructed at a cost of Rs. 2.86 crores, with various facilities aims, to impart professional skills to the needy and empower them to be useful and productive members of society.

Rodrigues emphasized that dedicated NGOs and committed social activists & experts must be associated with these societal ventures, to help us understand the needs of these vulnerable groups and who can spare time and energy to provide counseling services to make these people useful and productive citizens of society.

He said that these projects must have partnerships with caring and concerned people  and also emphasized that priority should be given to children in the first phase to those who have nobody to look after them.

The Administrator also visited village Hallomajra and took stock of developmental works.  He approved the plans for making it a integrated township, with the focus on facilities of education and vocational training, for empowering our citizens.