There is a need for the different pillars of democracy to work in tandem, without compromising on values, to meet the aspirations of the people, Police Commissioner J. Purnachandra Rao has said.
At an interactive meeting organised by the Vizag Journalists' Forum here on Tuesday, he said that contrary to popular belief, quick justice was possible in the present democratic system with the advancement in technology and growth in literacy.
Citing the example of the media, he said, notwithstanding the criticism, TV channels were disseminating information to people in a matter of seconds across the country and the globe. This was resulting in initiation of remedial measures at different levels. The judiciary was reacting very fast and bringing about changes of far-reaching consequences. The executive was also responding very quickly to the situation, but still there was scope for improvement. He said the ultimate aim of all public servants was to mitigate the grievances and do good to the people at large.
Special drive
Expressing satisfaction over reduction in accidents in the city, Mr. Purnachandra Rao said the reduction in the number of accidents by around 300 in the first nine months of this year as compared to last year was a significant achievement. He attributed the decrease to the special drive on ‘drunken driving', ‘cellphone driving', and ‘auto piloting' (passengers seated on either side of the driver in autorickshaws).
Though action was also initiated against non-use of seat belts in cars and not wearing helmets by two-wheeler riders, it was found that the first three mentioned causes were contributing more to the growth in accidents.
The other measures initiated to reduce accidents included placement of pre-cast concrete blocks at Jagadamba junction and Sheela Nagar and posting of Traffic Colts at identified junctions.
He said that triple riding and bike racing was controlled to a great extent on the beach road with the construction of speed breakers and counselling of youths and their parents.
On the crime front, the ‘Ashwini Mrudula' case at Dondaparthy had highlighted how simple measures such as installation of CCTV cameras in lifts and common areas in flats could go a long way in the detection and prevention of crime.
The builders were educated in the past on the need to ensure such measures at the time of construction of the apartment complex. He said that 22 young SI s would now be deputed to check the implementation of the suggestions.
The busting of the ‘Irani gang' and the ‘rice pulling gang' (iridium coin gang) and bringing down the pendency of cases at police stations from 1,800 to 1,000 were some of the other achievements, he said.
VJF president M. Yugandhar Reddy presided over the programme.
