In the recently concluded general elections, police bound over nearly 3,000 trouble mongers for peaceful conduct of polls. In the process, police used the Global Positioning System (GPS) to track police parties, so that they could rush to any spot in emergency.
In the 166 hyper-sensitive and 190 sensitive polling booths, additional forces were deployed. Besides, CCTV cameras were installed. Also, webcasting was put in place to monitor the poll process.
More than 6,500 police personnel, including 40 striking forces, 128 mobile parties, seven special striking forces and 21 paramilitary forces were deputed for the elections in the city.
“For the first time, we seized huge quantity of liquor, worth about Rs.1.5 crore before the elections. Police temporarily cancelled licences of 10 wine shops and three bars for violating norms. This helped police organise the elections without a single incident,” City Police Commissioner B. Srinivasulu said.
A vigil was kept on rowdy sheeters, history sheeters, persons involved in poll-related incidents earlier, trouble mongers and on the border check posts. “We thank police personnel, officials, political leaders and activists and the students who cooperated for conducting elections peacefully,” said Mr. Srinivasulu.
Youths turning prey to fake agents
Unemployed youths with poor degrees in hand are becoming prey to Vijayawada-based fake agents to several foreign companies, as their concentration has been shifted from Visakhapatnam to Vijayawada.
By the third week of May , majority of youths, who have been waiting for their immigration clearance by the High Commission of India, Kaula Lampur, have hailed from Andhra Pradesh and stranded without jobless. Speaking to The Hindu over phone from Putrajaya city in Malaysia, four youths stranded there for odd 45 days without job said that a Vijayawada-based travel agent had cheated their group of 13 youths belonging to Northern Andhra districts.
“He promised us the six-month Visa to work in Malaysia but cheated by providing a 45-day tourist visa, leaving us to sail against odds in Malaysia,” P. Mohan, one of the victims said. Youths from rural pockets in Northern Andhra districts find it easy to earn money by flying to Oil exploration countries to work as non- technical staff in different industries.
Fake agents have a field day in Vijayawada city as the youths are after them to fly countries like Dubai, Kuwait, Quatar, Malaysia. It is learnt that immigration clearance and official repatriation of an Indian national from any foreign country is required at least a few weeks.