Vijayawada: With child identification and tracing emerging as a major challenge during large religious gatherings, the Vijayawada police and district administration rolled out special child monitoring measures at the Gunadala Lourd Mary festival, one of the largest Christian events in Andhra Pradesh. Around five lakh devotees are expected to participate, prompting authorities to introduce technology-driven solutions to prevent children from going missing in the massive crowds.
Police officials said past festivals witnessed delays in identifying and reuniting lost children with their families due to overcrowding and lack of immediate identification details. To address this, special child monitoring tags and tracking bags are being provided to young children visiting the Gunadala Mother Mary Church. These tags carry essential details such as the child's name, parent or guardian contact number, and address, enabling quick identification and reunion if a child gets separated.
Multiple teams comprising police, ICDS, revenue department, and Forum for Child Rights officials were deployed around the temple premises to distribute tracking bags and assist families.
Alongside child safety measures, police put in place elaborate security arrangements using modern technology. CCTV surveillance, drone monitoring, and real-time crowd management systems were activated at key locations. Traffic diversions, pedestrian corridors, and dedicated crowd-control personnel were also arranged in coordination with various departments.
Officials said the child monitoring system showed positive results during last year's festival, significantly reducing the time taken to trace missing children. This year, authorities are confident the initiative will further strengthen safety mechanisms.
Central ACA K Damodar, Machavaram Inspector DV Ramana, Forum for Child Rights representative Arava Ramesh, and other officials participated in the programme and appealed to parents to ensure their children carry the tracking tags at all times.
Venu Lanka is a special correspondent, at The Times of India-Vija...
Read MoreVenu Lanka is a special correspondent, at The Times of India-Vijayawada. He covers developments related to VMC/APCRDA, Janasena, education, health, endowments, and agriculture-related stories. He holds two graduate degrees, one in business management and another in law. He completed his post-graduation in journalism and mass communication, apart from completing short-term courses.
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