“Vanga anna,” (come brother) said a group of villagers greeting sub-inspector (SI) Velraj when he visited Arundhathipalayam in Tirunindravur. The village was under his jurisdiction till he was transferred to Korattur. However, he is still welcomed in the village as he helped in rejuvenating an old well during his tenure.
Like Mr. Velraj, many policemen in the 15 police stations under the Ambattur police district have been carrying out development work in their jurisdiction as part of the project, Police Role in Developmental Effort (PRIDE), initiated by Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan.
The project motivates sub-inspectors to identify the problems people are facing in the localities and then carry out the developmental work with the help of the government agencies.
“The main aim of this project is to gain the trust of the public. Arundhathipalayam was one area where people were frightened to approach us. After this project was rolled out, there is a better interaction between the police and the public. The people are also passing on information pertaining to anti-social activities to the police,” explained Mr. Velraj.
Like Mr. Velraj, sub-inspector Purushotamman of the Ambattur Estate police station helped two dropouts rejoin school after getting sponsors to pay their fees.
Better facilities
In Avadi, sub-inspector Vimalanathan fixed a reverse osmosis plant at the Government High School at Sekkadu and helped dig a borewell in Lazar Nagar.
“We also take time to explain to the children the dangers of treading on the wrong path and motivate them to study well,” said Mr. Vimalanathan. In Thirumullaivoyal, sub-inspector Santosh Kumar fixed a new water tank at Moondru Nagar. Suresh of Mangadu police cleared bushes in the government school coming under his limits, and helped in constructing a toilet and putting up lights.
“In Kundrathur station, sub-inspector Porpadham helped a person, who was once a history sheeter, get a job. In other stations too, Sub-Inspectors helped in clearing garbage, conducting health camps and providing facilities to schools,” said S. Sarveshraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ambattur district.
G.K. Lakshmikantadi, a resident of Arundhathipalayam, said villagers had now started to respect policemen.
“The police helped us clean the well and fix motors. Before this, we had to walk some distance to get water. Now, we get it on our streets. Earlier, we feared the police. Now, we approach them without hesitation as we trust them,” he said.
