The Home Guards unit of Tiruchi district has adopted the panchayat union middle school at Chennakarai, an interior village near Vaathalai. The Home Guards had donated infrastructure worth about Rs.6 lakh to the school. It included provision of drinking water facility, science laboratory, supply of 25 ceiling fans at all classrooms and staff room, construction of separate toilet blocks for boys and girls, computer facility, repairing of the school building with false ceiling at each class room and setting up of a garden on the ground around the school.
The ‘Home Guards Day' was celebrated at the school premises, when K. Muthukaruppan, Additional Director General of Police, Director of Civil Defence, who is also Additional Commandant of Home Guards, inaugurated the infrastructure and also distributed free uniforms to all school pupils donated by the Home Guards.
Mr. Muthukaruppan underlined the need for promoting a cordial relationship between the Home Guards and the masses particularly in rural areas. In this context, he traced the circumstances that led to the concept of Home Guards shortly after our country was defeated in the Indo-Chinese War in the Sixties. “The absence of alert message from the rural people to the intelligence source resulted in the defeat and the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as a bridge between rural masses and the police, floated the Home Guards unit,” he said.
Mr. Muthukaruppan appreciated the efforts taken by A.L. Sirajudeen, Area Commandant, Home Guards, Tiruchi, in identifying the remote village for executing the project. Apart from nurturing the school, the Home Guards had also provided additional facility such as renovation of an anganwadi and provision of a hand pump in the village. Mr. Muthukaruppan also handed over sewing machines donated to 35 women members of Home Guards worth about Rs.2.07 lakh.
He said that the State government had increased the daily allowance for the Home Guards. Also, additional posts of Home Guards had been sanctioned.
R.Lalitha Lakshmi, Superintendent of Police, said that this was the second village being adopted by Home Guards. Last year, the day was celebrated at Tiruvalarcholai. She specifically referred to the sustained assistance being extended by the Home Guards – an innovative concept being implemented in the district.
A. Amalraj, DIG of Police, Central Region, was present. L.R.C. Ravisankar, Assistant Range Commandant, Tiruchi, C. Jayabalan, Commandant, Tamil Nadu Special Police offered felicitations. S. Kannaiyan, Adjunct and Additional Superintendent of Police, read out a report.
